EMPEROR OF DARKNESS (Prologue)
by Cordis
Summary: The threat of Ultimecia is over but now squall and his companions find themselves under the threat of an even greater enemy
1. Default Chapter Title

This is a final fantasy 8 fanfic which takes place three years after the battle with Ultimacia. The battle with the Sorceress is over but now Squall and his seed companions find themselves under the threat of an entirely new enemy.

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Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters are the rightful property of Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of the rights to them. 

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EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

Prologue

Squall jumped back as Ultimecia's claws slashed towards his mid-section. Zell took advantage of this opportunity and attacked Ultimacia from behind using his "BOYAA" limit break. Stumbling back from the fierce attack Ultimatia struggles to summon her last reserves of energy on these meddlesome seeds. How dare they defy her so? Who are they to cause her so much pain and failure! Enraged, Ultimecia lifts her hands and summons a devastating amount of energy. The ground trembles from her power and suddenly the seeds are caught in a stream of energy waves with a glowing sign blazing on the floor beneath them. They all scream in pain as the energy dissipates. Squall stumbles weakly and falls on one knee. He looks to his side and can see that his teammates are similarly weakened by the attack. Squall knows that this is it. This is their last shot at defeating Ultimacia. If they don't act now they will never win this battle. His thoughts run wild as he tries to formulate a plan of action. Suddenly Ultimacia rushes towards them again and attacks selphie with her claws. The girl screams out in pain as the sorceress claws rip through her flesh. Selphie immediately falls to the floor.

"SELPHIE!" Irvine screams as he watches the woman he loves fall to the ground.

Squall can see that his friend is outraged at Ultimacia for hurting selphie and angry with himself for not being strong enough to retaliate. Never the less, Squall looks on in shock as Irvine slowly rises to his feet. Squall is immediately aware of what is friend is thinking. He shuts his eyes tightly, trying to formulate some plan that can protect his friends and at the same time defeat Ultimacia. Squall tightens the grip on his gunblade as a desperate plan comes to mind. 

"IRVINE WAIT!" Squall cries as he also rises to his feet.

Irvine looks back at squall somewhat hesitantly. Squall breathed a sigh of relief that his friend had not lost all control and wasn't beyond reason. "Irvine… all of you, listen up! I've got a plan."

All seed members and Rinoa turned their attention to Squall as he continued to speak through clinched teeth. "Irvine I want you to fire at Ultimacia with everything you got but don't get carried away. Just cause enough damage to get her attention. Meanwhile Zell I want you to get Selphie out of harms way and use curaga on her. Quistis your job is to hold Ultimacia down with your whip. Rinoa you are to blind her with your boomerang. After such action I want you all to pull back. I'm going to attack her with everything I got. And… if I fall I want you all to continue to attack her no matter what! Give her all you got guys. Please! Uphold the duty of seed no matter what! Ultimacia will not have her way! As a seed I will not allow it!"

Rinoa looked at squall with frightened eyes. She did not want to lose him but she understood his decision and would support him till the end. She knew just how important this battle was. After being possessed by Ultimacia, Rinoa was privy to all of her sick and heinous plans. Rinoa would give anything to ensure that such evil would never touch this earth. "Just be careful" was all she could manage from her trembling lips.

Squall nodded his head. He then turned towards Ultimacia with determination engraved in his eyes. "Ultimacia your reign of terror is over!" he yelled. Seeds… for the future… for the pride of Balamb Garden, ATTACK!"

With that, Irvin jumped forward, drawing his shotgun and fired upon Ultimacia Using his limit break Pulse cannon attack. "Try some o' this you evil bitch!" he yelled as he continued pummeling her with his shots.

Ultimacia shrugged this off as she turned her gaze once again towards Selphie's prone form. "Death to all seeds" she hissed as she opened her hand preparing for a final attack on the poor girl.

Suddenly a cord wound itself around her arms preventing her from attacking. Just then zell leapt forward, scooped selphie out of harms way and dashed out of sight. "Damn you seeds" Ultimacia hissed, struggling against the binding cords.

"This is for all the people you hurt Ultimacia!" cried Rinoa, releasing her boomerang dead center in Ultimacias face.

As the Sorceress recoiled from this attack Irvine, Quistis, and Rinoa drew back allowing Squall to stand tall in front of the demon of darkness. 'Please let this be enough', Squall prayed silently. His eyes snapped back towards Ultimacia with penetrating determination. "This is it Ultimacia, your terror ends here!"

With that, Squall leapt into the air unleashing the powerful force of his lion heart limit break. He slashed Ultimacia continuously, hoping she would fall with every blow. After the twentieth slash, squall leapt back and charged his blade for one final strike. Once the energy was too much for him to bear anymore, he jumped forward and unleashed his final reserves of energy on Ultimacia. "LION HEART!" he screamed as the blade bit into Ultimacia's flesh sending her soaring through the air and crashing down to the ground like a meteor.

Squall immediately fell to one knee from the sheer power of his attack. Ultimacia struggled a bit more mumbling something about how time is inevitable but before she could finish her speech she exploded into a ball of energy and showered the seeds with harmless specks of light. "Its over", Squall mumbled before passing out.

****

Above the scene of battle, another figure bore witness to the fall of the Sorceress.

"Ultimacia you fool", he muttered through clenched teeth. His entire frame was covered in shadows but his outward frame was massive and intimidating.

"Would you like us to find another more suitable replacement for Ultimacia, my Emperor?" asked one of his assistants.

"All in good time Rhazenek" the figure said silently. "Despite her apparent short comings, Ultimacia was useful to me in one respect. She has altered the destiny of 'THE LEGEND'". 

Rhazenek paled at this remark. "But… sire how can we be sure? It is true she has guided one from the path of light but how can we be sure he will not regain his former honor or even worse, how can we be sure another will not take his place"?

The Emperor laughed cruely at this. "It matters little to me if another takes his place, let them come, they will never be as strong as the combined link 'he' shares with the other. And as far as returning to glory is concerned, that is also not an issue. He is weak in his desire for purpose and power. His honor has been shattered along with his purpose and whatever remained of his power. He will never rise to what he was. Ha! He is now nothing more than a lost puppy running aimlessly in a world he is only now beginning to see with new eyes." 

"So then we are to do nothing about him sire?"

"No, I have plans for him. I shall use him again just as Ultimacia has used him. My only concern now is Lion heart. He is following true to his preset course."

"Shall we eliminate him sire?"

"No, There is still much for me to learn about this time period. We shall wait and bide our time Rhazenek. As Ultimacia so kindly stated to those seeds time is endless and I shall be its master!" with that said, the Emperor broke off into a maniacal laughter that rang all throughout his throne room.

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Well that's it for my Prologue. How did you like it? I've always wanted to do a ff8 fanfic and this is my first shot at one. Hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please send all comments, critiques, and flames to me at [cordis_xaltun@altavista.com][1] Thanks for reading!

   [1]: mailto:cordis_xaltun@altavista.com



	2. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 1)

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The battle with the Sorceress is over but now Squall and his seed companions find themselves under the threat of an entirely new enemy.

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters are the rightfull property of Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of the rights to them. 

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EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER ONE

Rain pelted her face as she desperately looked up into the misty sky above. There was nowhere else to run. All about her lay wilted flowers and dead grass. Everything was bleak. Nothing beautiful marred this sullen landscape. This desolate panorama was in direct contrast to the beautiful field of fresh grass and wildflowers that filled its magnificent splendor in days past.

However none of this caught her attention. All she could think of was escape. She ran wildly through the relentless rain, hoping to find some refuge from the impending evil.

Suddenly her foot lodged into something and she fell to the dead ground. As she looked up she noticed what made her fall. Much to her disgust and fear it was an arm. She screamed as she saw the fresh blood still oozing from the location where it had been severed. Tearing her gaze from the gruesome image she immediately recoiled from what she saw next.

A field of death lay directly in her path. A graveyard of maimed and mutilated people all lay motionless on the ground in front of her. Fighting the urge to turn back she rose to her feet, determined to cross this field of death and escape "his" clutches.

After closer examination of these lifeless shells lying scattered in front of her, she cried out in shock and fear. "This cant be", she muttered. 

The corps she was now looking at was the disfigured body of Zell Dincht. "No!" she cried as she ran away from his prone form.

Suddenly another body caught hey eye. Selphie lay not ten feet away from where Zell's body was found. Fresh tears now welled in her eyes. "This cant be! No this can't be happening!" she screamed, backing away from their bodies.

Turning around, she found herself staring at two more lifeless bodies. Irvine and Quistis lay dead at her feet. Sinking to her knees, she began to cry hysterically. "Why", she sobbed. "Why is this happening". 

Suddenly, as if in response to her question, the loud sounds of sword fighting reverberated through the air. She immediately knew who it was and rose two her feet, dashing wildly towards direction of the sounds of battle. The closer she was, the louder and more apparent the sounds became. 

Finally the sounds where so intense that she had to cover her ears to block out the horrendous clamor of sword clashing against sword. She was directly below a mountain and as she looked up she saw the battle being waged. 

Squall was holding his own against a horribly intimidating and powerful looking man. He was completely masked in shadow but his basic outline was menacing. He carried an heir of hatred and cruelty about him. Pure evil was all she could conceive as she laid eyes on him.

Squall was now on his knees, reeling from the heavy blows the unidentified demon relentlessly gave him. "Squall!" she screamed as she began climbing up the mountain. 

She ascended the mountainside rather easily due to the fact that she was a sorceress. Upon finally reaching the top of the mountain she was overwhelmed with the sight of Squall lying helplessly on his back bleeding profusely from the open which splayed across his chest. 

"You bastard!" she screamed. She immediately embraced Squall in her arms, rocking back and forth as if to sooth his pain.

"Its going to be okay Squall. Everything is going to be just fine. Just hold on" she whispered into his ear continuing to rock his limp form.

The demon continued to advance towards Squall as if she wasn't even there. She held Squall tighter as he drew closer and closer to them. The demon's deadly sword glistened with a magnificent hue reflecting his evil intent. 

Her eyes darted frantically, searching for some sign of salvation in this desolate world of death. Finally her eyes rested on a lone figure standing rigidly in the background like a shining angel. His long, white trench coat fluttered in the wind. His golden hair glistened with a shimmering glow of perfection and depth. His gunblade rested easily at his side. 

She looked at this man as the demon came closer to them. "Please!" she begged. "You have to help us! Please! Squall is dying! Please don't let this monster take him away from me!" She began to sob hysterically. 

The man, with his shimmering gold hair and magnificent trench coat regarded her with a look of utter sorrow and helplessness. At the sight of such pity, her heart wanted to cry out. How could such a man express so much pain in one look? 

Slowly, he tore his gaze from her and the menacing figure. He began to walk the opposite way. "NO!" she screamed. "Please! Don't leave us! Please!" Her cries fell on deaf ears as the demon raised his sword over her head and suddenly began to swing it down. 

"NO!" Rinoa screamed as she shot her head up from the pillows. Scanning her surroundings, she was relieved to find the familiar territory to be the bedroom she and Squall shared. Rinoa felt warm tears sliding down her cheek's as the vivid memory was still fresh in her mind. Suddenly she was embraced in warm loving arms as Squall hugged her shaking form. 

Even after three years of living interdependently with Rinoa, now his wife, Squall still felt somewhat awkward in this situation. He never had to deal with placating anyone's nightmares before. None the less, he was doing the best he could for Rinoa. He didn't want to see her in pain. It hurt his heart to see her the way she was now. "Don't worry Rinoa, its alright" he whispered soothingly into her ear. "It was just a dream". 

Strangely enough, Squalls words comforted her. As if his mere presence drove away all the fears and turmoil's of her nightmare. She hugged him tightly, feeling safe and secure in his arms. "Squall" she whispered in a light voice, overcome with emotion. "Don't leave me. Please just don't ever leave me."

"I won't" Squall whispered back to her as she drifted into slumber once again, resting cozily in his arms.

Quistis Trepe yawned wearily as she finished grading the final seed exam on her desk. It had been a long and tiring week for her and all her reserves where finally wearing thin under the relentless pressure and stress. It seemed that every year, twice as many students would enter the seed program as the year before. It got to the point where now even Quistis, the second, highest ranking seed officer under Squall Lionheart, was now reduced to grading seed exams. 

'Its days like these, that I ask myself why I'm still even here' she thought to herself. After the events that had taken place with Ultimecia, the group had all decided to go their own ways. It was completely acceptable in seed standards. Once you had become an extinguished seed officer, it was totally valid for you to offer your services to differing locations, so long as you upheld the honor of Garden of course. 

Quistis began thinking about everything that had happened since then. Squall and Rinoa had gotten married. It was a lovely wedding and she was sure it wouldn't be long before they had little Lionhearts or little Rinoas running around taking up all their time.

She laughed at the thought of Squall being a father. Squall would probably bust a liver trying to get his children under control while at the same time keeping an indifferent look on his face. 

Quistis smiled fondly at the thought of Squall and Rinoa being together. Despite everything, they would make great parents. Then there was Zell. Impetuous, conceited, pride stricken little Zell. Surprisingly, he had changed an awful lot since the final battle with Ultimecia. Quistis assumed a certain young pigtailed girl who used to work in Balamb Garden's library had something to do with that. A small line creased her brow as she tried to remember the girl's name. 'Sarah was it?' Anyway, they had been seeing each other a whole lot since the last battle. Finally, three months after Squall and Rinoa got married, Zell decided he wanted to see more of the world. It was really no surprise when Sarah offered to go with him. Quistis hadn't seen Zell since. Of course he sent her and everyone else letters every now and then but still she found herself wondering what the young man looked like now, three years after the fight with Ultimecia.

Irvine and Selphie were the next to go. They had stuck together like glue after that last battle. It seems they found their way out of compressed time through their love for each other. As far as Quistis knew, Irvine was still a flirt. At least he was when they left. Selphie had curbed his bad habits an awful lot before their departure and Quistis was sure that by now, Irvine's slick tongue was probably non-existent to any woman other than Selphie. She had recently received an invitation to their wedding. It was set for autumn of next year. Quistis was happy for them. They made such a cute couple, even when they were kids. 

Quistis let a sigh escape her lips. 'And where does that leave me?' She thought to herself. Everyone had moved on except her. She wasn't sure exactly what it was but something kept her here at Balamb Garden. The urge to train others in the ways of becoming a seed. She wasn't sure exactly what had provoked this urge upon her. Perhaps it was due to her failure as an instructor. Oh everyone said that it wasn't her fault Seifer Almasy had chosen to stand by Ultimecia as her dark knight. They all knew how 'troubled' Seifer was. He had always been a prideful, arrogant, irrepressible, stain on Garden's image. But still, he was her stain. He was her responsibility. It was her task, her duty, to somehow stem Seifer's 'distasteful' habits and show him the true path towards becoming a seed. And she failed him. She failed miserably. Not only did he disobey orders but he also betrayed them. He betrayed his seed companions and even lead an attack to try and kill them. 'How could I have ever failed so miserably' she thought to herself. She let her infatuation with Squall Lionheart over cloud her better judgement. Seifer was the one who truly needed the most attention. She saw the signs of discontent and arrogance in him. Yet she pointedly chose to ignore it. And oh were the costs great.

She had never felt so miserable in her life then when she found out that Seifer, her subordinate, had become the servant to Ultimecia, the sworn enemy of seed. 

'Perhaps my work here will make amends for my past mistakes' she thought to herself sadly. She subconsciously wished to meet Seifer one more time after their battle with Ultimacia. To apologize for failing to lead him away from Ultimecia's evil, to apologize for not helping him to understand the difference between reality and fiction. Just as Squall was trapped in his web of imaginary isolation, so too was Seifer trapped in a web of fantasy. He was obsessed with becoming an honorable knight. He lived this dream every day and played the part, all his life. She wanted to apologize and to tell him that it was ok if he couldn't attain his dream. There are other ways to fulfill one's life other then becoming an idol of adoration and respect for others. She wanted to explain this to him but she wasn't even sure if Seifer survived the battle in the end. None of them had heard from him ever since he had given Rinoa over to Sorceress Adel. He had simply just disappeared. 

'Oh well' Quistis thought to herself. 'Perhaps one day I will forgive myself and move on but until then my main concerns are these seed exams.' She let out a sigh of dread as she looked at the huge stack of exams she had to file. Just as she stood up to file the exams there was a knock at her office door. 

"Come in" she said, as she picked up the stack of papers and began filing them. Her back was to the door so she didn't notice that the one who had entered her office was a young 15 year old girl until she heard the girl nervously clear her throat.

"Excuse me, are you the director of Balamb Garden miss?" The young girl asked respectfully. 

"Yes I am" Quistis answered, turning around to face her. "Is there anything I can do to help you?" Quistis was thoroughly interested in finding out this little girl's story. Why had she come here? And why did you want to speak with the director of Balamb Garden?

"I wanted to ask a question of you, if I may?" The young girl said, as if responding to Quistis unspoken questions.

"Sure" Quistis said with a slight smile on her face. If anything, this girl certainly had no problems with being direct.

"I am looking for someone. I have information that he was last seen serving as a student of balamb garden training to become a seed."

"I see. And what might this students name be?"

"His name is Seifer. Seifer Almasy."

Quistis gasped visibly. "Ex- excuse me?" Quistis stammered, still taken aback by what this young girl had just said. 

The girl still kept her pleasant smile pasted on her face however there was something different in her eyes. Something penetrating and yet at the same time she seemed weighed down with heavy emotion. Quistis couldn't tell what emotions she saw in this girl's eyes but she knew they where there. 

Now that she thought about it, there was something familiar in the girl's features that reminded her distinctly of Seifer. She had the same eyes as he did. Her pale blue shimmering irises struck out against her long golden hair. The girl's hair was pulled back, almost in a similar fashion to the way hers was. And she had a very pretty face that sparkled with friendliness. 

Quistis noticed all of this as she studied this young, 15 year old girl standing in front of her. "Do you know him?" The girl asked suddenly, breaking Quistis out of her reverie. 

"Y-yes I do." Quistis replied awkwardly. "I'm sorry, the man you are looking for no longer attends Balamb Garden."

"Oh. I see." Came the girl's simple reply.

"May I ask why you are looking for this man?" Quistis asked, finally regaining her composure. 

"No you may not." Came the girl's blunt answer. She had said this in a polite manner and still retaining her original smile. 

She turned around and began to head out the door. "At least tell me who you are!" Quistis blurted, somewhat flushed from the girl's answer. 

The girl simply turned around to face Quistis, still wearing that same sweet smile. "We will meet again." 

That said, the girl turned towards the door and exited the office. Quistis stood there, deeply contemplating what had just happened. After a few moments longer she let out a sigh of annoyance and frustration and resumed her task of filing seed exams. 'Another problem for another day. Unfortunately, this problem won't leave as politely as she did', she thought, as she opened the file cabinet, preparing herself for another long night of work. 

Well ok I finished my first chapter a bit earlier then I expected. I intended to right a whole lot more but I figured it would be better if I just split it up into two chapters. A lot more convenient for me. Anyway I just realized I've been spelling Ultimecia's name wrong. Sorry about that. I didn't even notice. Well I hoped you liked the chapter and 

please send any comments, critiques, and or flames to me at cordis_xaltun@altavista.com. Thanks for reading! 


	3. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 2)

Squall and his seed companions have defeated Ultimecia but now they find themselves under the threat of an entirely new enemy. 

Disclaimer: all final fantasy 8 characters, places and things all belong to square soft and other involved companies. I own none of the rights to any of this. This fanfic is just for fun.

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 2

Irvine gritted his teeth in nervous anticipation as Selphie prepared to unleash her aero spell. "Do we really have to do this again?" Irvine muttered, still keeping his teeth tightly clenched. 

In answer to his question, Selphie let loose a powerful gust of wind, hitting Irvine full force, lifting him up off the floor and spinning him wildly through the air. However before slamming painfully into the ground he was caught up in another spell and suddenly he found his self floating safely to the ground. 

Irvine tried to keep a cool front about the whole thing but failed miserably when he saw all the amused faces reflected towards him. "BRAVO! THANKS A LOT IRVINE, YOU WHERE GREAT!" Selphie yelled from across the room. 

Irvine growled in response to Selphie's enthusiasm. They were now situated in the gymnasium of the new and improved Trabia Garden. After the battle with Ultimecia and then Squall and Rinoa's wedding, Selphie and Irvine decided it was time to move on. Not to mention the fact that even Zell, the lazy big mouth of the group, left. That was a sign in and of itself that said it was time for the whole group to go their separate ways and move on with their lives. 

A few weeks after Zell's departure, Selphie decided to return to her old school and help the students finish rebuilding all the damage Ultimecia left behind. Naturally Irvine followed her. After completion of the new school, the head of Trabia Garden was so pleased with their efforts that he gave them both positions as battle instructors for all the advanced students.

However, at this particular moment Irvine wasn't all that pleased with these new arrangements. He stood in the back as Selphie finished giving her lecture on appropriate magic usage. The students were all young but they were very excited and enthusiastic about having the opportunity to be trained under the same seed members who helped bring down the evil sorceress, Ultimecia.

A few minutes later, Selphie dismissed the class and now proceeded towards Irvine. "Thanks a lot for the help Irvine! I really couldn't have done it without you!" She said with a huge grin on her face. 

"You said that already, Selphie. But listen, next time just let me know ahead of time when you're planning on using me as a guinnie pig." 

Irvine was trying to sound angry with her but he felt his resolve break every moment he stared into her sparkling blue eyes. This woman had a natural glow about herself that made her absolutely impervious to anything negative. She was the very definition of optimism. However, this was also Selphie's most winning trait. Her optimism inspired others and gave anyone around her a sense of insuppressible confidence. At least that's how she made Irvine feel. 

Despite her sporadic nature, which was hard for him to deal with at times, Irvine loved Selphie. He found that her child like joy awakened the child like joy in his own heart. Everything about her touched his spirit and Irvine never wanted to part with this new feeling. A slight smile formed on Irvine's face as he thought of all of this.

"What cha smilin' at?" Selphie asked suddenly, tearing him out of his brief reverie. 

Irvine flushed at this. "Well, its just that its still hard to imagine you as an instructor", he said, half truthfully while clearing his throat. 

"What!? Come on Irvine I wasn't that bad! Besides we've all grown a little since our confrontation with the Sorceress." 

Irvine had to agree with this fact. Even he had matured since that fateful day. He didn't flirt half as much as he used to, and he stopped trying to play the 'loner' bit. 'I guess Ultimecia's threat against the world has really woken us all up', he thought to himself. 

"Well I guess you do have a point there", he said grudgingly. He hated being wrong but nowadays Selphie was right about almost everything. It seems she gained a great amount of wisdom over the years.

"Of course I do!" Selphie responded in her usual happy go lucky voice. "Now lets go get some grub and get ready for our next class session shall we?"

"But we already had our three class sessions for the day!" Irvine argued. 

Selphie giggled. "I added another one silly"

Irvine was speechless. He simply slapped his hand on his forehead in exasperation and followed Selphie as she lead the way to the cafeteria. "Why me?" Irvine mumbled miserably to himself.

Zell yawned lazily as he rested peacfully on the docks of FH. The scenary was beautiful at this time of year. He had decided nearly three years ago to explore the world and see all that he could see. Much to his joy, Sarah has offered to go with him. Together they had journeyed much of the world and visited sights such as Esthar, the Cetra Ruins, and even certain areas in the Trabia region. Finally they had agreed to settle down in FH for a while. It was like paradise to the two of them and their relationship prospered from it. When they first got to FH it was under attack from a sea monster and Zell and Sarah had fought together to defeat the menace and save the citizens. After that, they became very popular, not to mention they where already renowned as the hero's involved in the downfall of Ultimecia. It wasn't long until the former head of FH finally handed the reigns over to Zell and Sarah. Zell had been skeptical about accepting this kind of responsibility at first but after some support and encouragement from Sarah he had accepted his new role and quite frankly he grew to like it a lot. Zell finally understood what the former Head of FH meant when he said it was not a war torn island. They were totally peaceful and Zell liked this. Zell was finally happy. 

He thought of all of this as he closed his eyes against the rushing wind of the sea breeze. His whole outlook was different now. He traded in his spunky hair doo for a more formal style. Now his hair was all smoothly slicked back with only a flock or two falling forward. Gone were his jeans and red and black striped jacket. He now wore a black armani suit with a silk shirt and a black and silver striped tie. Zell Dincht had indeed changed. 

He sat up abruptly as his cell phone suddenly rang, interrupting his daydreaming. "Hello." He said as he stretched his arms languidly.

"Hi sweetie" Sarah said from the other line. "I just got back from visiting the Robinsons. It was a great visit honey. Oh, and the baby kicked today!" 

Zell had been listening moderately interested in the news about the Robinsons but at the mention of his unborn child, he immediately became more interested. "Really! So he finally found his legs huh?" Zell asked, implying that their child would be a boy. 

Sarah laughed at this. "Yes it sounds like 'she' has!" She said emphasizing the word 'she'. 

They both laughed happily at their little game of guessing the gender of their child. Sarah had been pregnant for three months now. They had recently gotten married four months ago. Zell had been meaning to write to the others about all of this but it all happened so fast that he never really found the right way to say it. 

One day when they were on the docks looking into the majestic sea, Zell had finally worked up enough courage to propose to Sarah. They were so happy that they arranged for the marriage that very week. They had been living happily ever since. They both felt bad that they didn't invite their friends and family to their wedding but neither of them wanted a fancy wedding, which they were sure their friends would have given them. 

"I'll be home in a few minutes honey" Zell told his wife. 

He got up from his seat on the docks and began walking through the friendly streets of FH. "I'm just going to go to the Grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner." 

Zell was always a good cook and ever since they moved to FH Zell had been protesting that he should cook most of the time. It was a hobby of his that was overlooked during his time at Balamb Garden. Sarah always enjoyed Zell's cooking however she also liked to cook. Finally they came to the conclusion that they would divide the tasks of cooking so that Zell would cook on the first half of the week and Sarah would cook on the other half. They were both pleased with these arrangements and it has been that way ever since.

"Ok honey, I'll see you in a few minutes then." Sarah said sweetly as she hung up the phone on her end. 

Zell turned off his cell phone and put it in his pocket as he continued to walk down the street to the store. For the first time in Zell's life he was truly happy and content.

Squall Lionheart was annoyed beyond belief. It seemed sleep was an impossible feat these days. Rinoa's reoccurring nightmares, along with the constant late night office meetings, were really putting a strain on his health. Now, when he finally gets the chance to have some rest, somebody has the nerve to call him at 3:00 in the morning. Squall's patience had run dry. 

As he pressed the button on his phone monitor, Squall answered coldly. "Who is it?"

"Hey there Squall! Long time no see huh?" Came the cheery voice belonging to none other than former Headmaster Cid.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you, calling you up this late." 

"No sir, not at all!"

Cid wore an expression of disapproval at this last comment. "Since when did you become a liar Squall?" He said in a mock serious voice.

Squall lowered his head slightly in shame at getting caught in the act. 

"Well I won't waste anymore of your time I'll just get to the point. First of all I wanted to congratulate you on all the work you have accomplished here. Your are truly an irreplaceable asset to Garden. Which leads me to my next reason for this call. Squall, tomorrow I am meeting with Caraway, the president of Galbadia. It is the first step in garden's new role to establish unified peace in the land. The ceremony will be an acknowledgment of the unified power of Galbadia, Balamb and Garden working together as one unified force to end all wars. This is a huge step for us all Squall and I am asking you now if you would be there with me as a representative of all that Garden stands for. 

Squall was utterly shocked. After the war with Ultimecia, Cid had moved up in the world. He had relinquished total control of Garden over to Squall and had become president of Balamb. Through his quick thinking, intelligence, and political experience, Cid quickly turned Balamb into one of the continent's most powerful nations. 

'And now he's going to unify Galbadia Balamb and Garden together into a symbol of peace and he wants ME to be there with him!' Squall thought to himself wildly. He could not believe that Cid would give "HIM" the privilege of representing all of Garden. Even though he was the head of Garden, Everyone knew Cid as the founder and creator of it. To not only give Squall control over it but also the honor of helping to unify such a powerful force with the power's of two other nations in the prospect of promoting peace! Squall was too shocked for words. 

"Sir this is too much of an honor! I – I am not worthy of this."

"Bah! Still the same old Squall I see. Squall you are quite literally the head of Garden now. Not only that but your also a competent leader and an excellent soldier. There was really no other choice to begin with. You are the best soldier for the job, son."

"But still, sir you are greatly overestimating my abilities."

Cid did not respond to this but simply chuckled and shook his head. "Same old Squall." Cid finally decided to take a different approach. "Squall Lionheart, General of seed, honored head of Garden, would you please do me the honor of joining in Balamb and Galbadia's pact for unified peace?"

Squall was quiet for a moment, then replied in a firm determined voice. "It would be my honor sir."

Cid could not suppress the pleased smile splayed across his face. "Very good. The ceremony starts in two weeks. I look forward to seeing you then."

Cid closed the connection and Squall was left alone to ponder the idea of this new task facing him. "For the glory of Garden", was his only reply as he closed his monitor and made his way back to bed.

Hello again. Sorry if this story is going rather slow now but I'm trying to get the setting established so if you like it please keep reading. There will be more action on the way soon. I promise you that. Once again, thanks for reading and please send any flames, critiques or comments to me at [cordis_xaltun@altavista.com][1]

   [1]: mailto:cordis_xaltun@altavista.com



	4. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 3)

Squall and his seed companions have defeated Ultimecia but now they find themselves under the threat of an entirely new enemy.

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters, places and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of the rights to any of this. This fanfic is just for fun.

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 3

Squall let out a long sigh as he sat in the back seat of a Garden limousine. He was dressed in a decorative Garden Uniform. It was a white suit, top to bottom with shiny gold lining. The collar was round and had a similar gold color. On the side of it, he wore the symbol of Garden. Over his suit, he donned a similar white draping formal robe. It was also gold trimmed and its shoulder pads jutted out widely, signifying his position as head of Garden. And finally, his boots were a formal glossy black with gold pieces embroidered along the laces. 

Squall hated wearing such formal outfits. He hated going to formal meetings. And most of all, he hated public appearances. Ever since becoming the head of Garden, Squall was always being pushed into meetings. Either about how to improve weapon armaments or simply some country asking to hire Garden's services. Squall handled himself well in these meetings, as he always handled himself well in everything he did. However that didn't stop him from harboring ill feelings about it all. More then once, Squall pondered the idea of resigning and turning over his position to someone more fitting for the task. Unfortunately for Squall, Cid would always intervene and tell him that he was the best man for the job and with his leadership, he could be an important key in pulling all the countries together in unified peace. 

Squall silently let out a bitter laugh at this thought. Now he was doing just that. He was on his way to Cid's Manor. He would be journeying with Cid to Galbadia to serve as a symbol for Garden. His presence would represent Garden's approval of Balamb joining together with Galbadia as one unified nation. He approved of the idea, he just didn't like the thought of being a mere symbol. He had always imagined he would be doing more for the peace and justice of the world then just serving as a figurehead. Squall detested meetings and political discussions and the sort. He had always thought of himself as a fighter, a leader, or even an active, high ranking, officer of some sort. He wasn't made out for this office work. He needed more hands on experience in his life. He didn't want to be sitting in an office for the rest of his life smiling pearls all the time, symbolizing factitious peace when he could really be out in the world fighting and striving for the real thing. 

Squall let out another sigh before resigning himself to simply staring out of his limousine window. Cid had the right idea of course, he just didn't think he was truly needed in the position that he was in. He was needed more on the forefront with his fellow seeds, rather then in the background issuing orders. 

"Why so glum honey?" Rinoa looked at Squall with pure concern in her eyes. She was dressed in a silken blue dress, with diamond pearl earrings and necklace. 

Squall took a moment longer to stare out the window then he turned his head to face her. "I don't know … It's just that…."

"…What?"

"I don't belong here." Squall said finally. 

"What do you mean Squall? Of course you belong here! After all you've done for garden, they would be stupid not to want you at this ceremony. What has gotten into your head all of a sudden?" Rinoa said, misunderstanding Squall's meaning. 

"No, I mean I don't belong in this kind of position. This kind of work doesn't suit me Rinoa. I feel like I should be doing more then I already am."

"But aren't you already doing enough? You're helping to inspire peace in the world."

"That's just my point Rinoa! If I'm going to be helping to bring peace to others, don't you think I would do a better job If I was actually out on the open 'physically' doing something rather then just sitting in an office looking pretty for all those top coats?"

Rinoa's brow wrinkled as she pondered Squall's words. Just as she was about to give her reply, however, the limousine came to a sudden stop. They had finally reached their destination. 

Upon entering the Kramer's Manor, Squall and Rinoa where astonished at its overwhelming beauty and elegance. The main hall was bathed in various hues of blue. The staircase and floors were all marble. There was a skylight high above them blasting radiant light down onto the cold navy blue rug, which stretched out from the door all the way up the stairwell and fully enveloped the second floor. The number of doors lining the walls of the mansion were too numerous for Squall to count. Rinoa squealed with glee at the sight of all the beautiful bouquets of flowers. They all rested on stilts that adjoined each door. 

Finally, Squall forced himself out of his stupor and regained some of his composure. "Is this were we will meet up with President Cid?" He asked in a formal, business-like manner.

"Err… no the master will see you in his study." Said the flustered servant. He was caught of guard at how quickly Squall regained his composure. 'This man was utterly incredible', he thought to himself. He did not think it possible for someone to change moods so quickly. However, he quickly dispersed these stray thoughts and promptly led Cid's guests towards the appointed room.

As they walked, Rinoa marveled at the vast assortment of artifacts displayed along the walls. They seemed to cover a long line of history. The sections she was currently viewing covered history from the great battles of Gustav, to the rebellions of Kellinger. Kellinger was once a noble knight under the New Kingdom. Then, later he became the revolutionist who gained the people freedom from Gustav's oppressive tirany. And right before her eyes, Rinoa saw Gustav's mighty sword, and Killinger's brimming lance. Both weapons were broken as a result from the battle those two warriors had many years ago. Then there was Merielus's staff. Merielus was the first in the long line of sorceress. At first she was very loyal to Killinger, however after a time she became consumed with power and destroyed the new world order from within. The history kept on going. As Rinoa walked further and further down the hall, history seemed to literally play itself out before her very eyes.

Rinoa was very intrigued by this and was about to ask the servant a few questions about some of the more unfamiliar artifacts when Squall suddenly tapped her gently on the shoulder. To her utter surprise, they were standing right in front of Cid's study. Slightly disappointed that she could not continue her tour down the remainder of the hallway, Rinoa let out a low scoff then followed Squall into the room.

Once again, Squall and Rinoa were bombarded by scenes of overwhelming beauty. Cid and Edea Obviously have very good taste. The study was furnished in a sea green color. The walls were bathed in a pale hue of green. The furniture was all gold rimmed and was at the height of elegance. Squall walked over to the sofa on the left side of the room and sat down quietly, seemingly lost in the splendor of their magnificent room. Rinoa couldn't contain herself as she scanned all aspects of her surroundings. Even though she was rich herself, her father was never much into the true nature of elegance. Of course he would have plenty priceless possessions in his mansion but none of his items compared to Cid's incredible inventory. Cid was not content with rich items but items which were symbolic of reminding everyone of past follies. Truly, Cid always had a greater plan in mind for everything he did. 

"Woooo weeee, Cid sure does have some sweet dig's don't ya think?" Came loud voice from across the far end of the room. Squall and Rinoa immediately shot their heads towards the direction of the familiar voice. 

Rinoa dropped her mouth in shock at the sight before her eyes. Even the, ever pensive, Squall felt his eyes widen in shock as he stared upon the figure standing in front of him. Standing before them both, was non other than a very classy, and excited Zell Dincht. He still wore his black armonie suit with the silk dress shirt and glossy dress shoes to go along with the outfit. In all their years, Squall and Rinoa had never seen such a change in a man. 

Rinoa was the first to recover from her shock; replacing her expression with a sly grin instead. "Honey? Who is that man? I've never seen him before in my life." She said, with an amused glint in her eyes.

Squall, catching on to Rinoa's game, replied. "I don't know hon. He 'sounds' like a friend I once knew, but aside from that, he's a total stranger to me." 

"Oh, har har har! Very funny, you two. But regardless, it's great to see you both after such a long time." 

Before either Squall or Rinoa could react, Zell immediately rushed up and crushed them both in a tight bear hug. "This is great man…" Zell choked out in an emotional voice, still clutching his friends tightly. I've missed you both so much! I've missed you all… Man! I just never realized how much…" 

By this time, Rinoa also became very emotional, and even Squall could not stem his tears from falling from his face. They remained in that same tight hug simply clutching each other and weeping with happiness. Suddenly they were interrupted by the sound of high heel shoes clicking against the cold marble floor.

"Is this a private meeting or can anyone join?" Asked a tall woman dressed in a formal business outfit. She wore a formally long military skirt, along with a fitted suit coat and dress shirt. She also wore formal high heel shoes and her hair was designed in a familiar style, which only one person could pull off effectively. 

"Quistis!!!" Rinoa yelled, and swiftly ran over to hug the woman standing across the room from them. "Oh my gosh!! Ive missed you so MUCH!!!" She sobbed as she hugged Quistis tightly. 

Quistis hugged Rinoa back with similarly wet eyes. "I've missed you too." She said softly. "All of you. It's been so lonely at Balamb Garden with you all gone. You can't imagine how happy I am right now!" 

"But I don't get it. How did you all get here? And how did you know we were here?" Squall asked, breaking the mood.

"That's easy." Came a new voice from the doorway. The owner of that voice was wearing an olive colored dress suit with a certain trademark hat and trench coat. And By his side, stood his companion who was similarly dressed up. She wore A black dress and her hair was smoothed back in a fashion that almost made her unrecognizable. 

"Irvin! Selphie!" Squall was utterly shocked and for the first time in a long time, he found himself at a loss for words. Selphie momentarily saved him from the spotlight by giving him a deep hug then running over to everyone else to give them hugs also. Irvin walked up to Squall and trust his hand out in a friendly gesture. With Irvine, that was the closes you were going to get to seeing him openly displaying his emotions to a guy. Squall shook it heartily and gave Irvin a reassuring pat on the back for good measure. 

"Now as I was saying," Irvin said after breaking off his handshake with Squall. "As far as I can gather, Cid called us all here. He told me and Selphie that he wanted us to come to the ceremony with you because he knew you needed support and there's no better support then ones friend's to watch his back." 

Squall gave a slight smile at this. Irvin was right, it really was a powerful feeling, to have the support of ones friends by his side. He didn't know what to say. Once again, Cid had made all the right decisions for him. "Thank you." Squall said simply. 

They all laughed at Squall's odd way of showing gratitude towards others. "So tell me, what have you all been doing with your lives for the past three years?" Rinoa asked brightly. 

"Well, I haven't been doing much of anything for the past three years." Quistis replied in a casual voice. "Just doing the same old stuff I always do. Being the head director at Garden isn't as glamorous as everyone thinks. My days are simply a long procession of analyzing seed results and deciding whether or not someone is fit to become a seed." 

"Sheesh! Talk about a boring life!" Irvine exclaimed in shock. "But I'm almost as bad as you. Me and Selphie work at the Garden in Trabia. We're trainers for those young seed candidates aspiring to make it to glory. Its pretty boring." 

Selphie chose that moment to kick Irvine in the knee for being so blunt. "If you don't like it then why don't you just leave you … you duffus!" Everyone could see that Selphie was clearly hurt by Irvine's words. 

"Aww come on Selphie. You know I didn't mean it that way." When Selphie gave no response to his attempts at reconciliation, Irvin let out a long sigh. "Look, Selphie you know I love you. And if dealing with a bunch of boring seed candidates makes you happy then there's no place id rather be. I want to always be by your side Selphie."

This magnificent show of emotion sent everyone in the room drop dead quiet. Irvin truly had changed. He no longer hid what his heart wanted to say. He had no problems expressing his emotions to Selphie now. All selphie could do was look at Irvin with eyes full of love. She immediately embraced Irvin hugging him tight and crying softly in his arms. 'This' show of emotion, everyone was used to. Soon everyone broke out of their previous daze and started up again. 

"Jeez Selphie! Not too attached are ya?" Zell said with a slight smirk on his lips. Selphie just turned her head to face him and stuck her tongue out at him. Zell chuckled quietly at this. It was just like old times.

"And what about you Zell?" Irvin said with an inquisitive eye. "What's your story. And for that matter, are you even the 'REAL' Zell?"

Everyone began to laugh at Irvin's joke. It was a drastic change from the young mans former attire. Wiping her tears away, Selphie joined in. "This must be someone Zell paid to be here while he went off to see more of the world!" 

"If that's the case, then that show's how intelligent Zell is to think we would fall for someone like this!" Irvin added. They all broke out into uncontrollable laughter at the expense of Zell. 

Zell began to seethe with rising indignation. "Oh come off it you guys! I didn't change 'that' much! Did I?" Everyone began laughing hysterically again, effectively giving him his answer. Even the, ever so stoic, Squall couldn't hide his chuckles. It 'was' just like old times. 

"So what happened Zell?" Rinoa asked after the laughter had sufficiently died down. "What made you give up the 'hip' look, and move on to a more classy appeal?"

Zell shifted nervously, catching everyone off guard. The reason behind Zells change must have been drastically important if it caused this kind of reaction from him. "Zell? What's wrong? You're acting like you've just seen a ghost." Selphie said softly. Everyone's attention was now turned towards Zell. 

Zell breathed a long sigh of dread. He knew where this conversation was going yet there was no avoiding it. 'Might as well get it over with now.' He thought in resignation. "Well… ok it started like this. Sarah and I had roamed the world for quite some time and we saw lots of cool things. Well finally we decided to stop at FH for a little bit of r&r. We stayed there for a couple days and it was great. Everyone looked up to us and stuff. I mean come on. We were seeds. The hero's famous for ending the sorceress tyrannical rule. And I was one of the hero's who actually went head to head with her. So anyway when we were getting ready to leave, A huge sea creature attacked the docks. Sarah and I had no choice but to fight. We ended up killing the creature but many townspeople were hurt… I was one of them. I had jumped in the way of one of the creature's attacks, which was meant for Sarah. So the way things ended up, we had to stay longer on account of my injuries. Well to make a long story short, the President of FH was very impressed with our battle and how much the people looked up to us. He therefor decided we were the perfect candidates to succeed him. He stepped down from office saying that age had worn him down. Thus Sarah and I became the new presidents of FH."

Everyone in the room was silent. Even Squall was baffled at this news. No one had ever imagined Zell would inherit such responsibility. 'Who would have thought a reckless showoff like Zell would become the president of a country,' Thought Irvin. Quistis was the first to break the silence. "So your saying there is a joint Presidency in FH now? What do the people think about such an action?"

"Oh the people fully accept the decision!" Zell replied in an exited voice. "Matter of fact, they prompted Sarah and me to make that a new official rule in FH. To have a joint Presidency with two people. They feel that it is a symbol of mans own inability to take hold of any action by his self. It is a symbol of humility and respect for the abilities of others." 

Once again, the room was shocked into silence. 'We never once thought of that before' Squall pondered in shock. 'I suppose it is, indeed a good thing Zell has become president of FH. We need ambitious leaders like him, who will defy tradition and act in accordance to the desires of the people.' 

"Wow." Was all Selphie could utter through her mouth. She was still too shocked to fully grasp the whole concept of what Zell had just told them. Quistis simply nodded in acceptance to Zell's career decision. Rinoa just wore a huge grin on her face the whole time. "Well Zell…" Squall said, surprising everyone with his sudden urge to speak. It was usual in these cases for Squall to remain silent. Always pondering someone's words and only speaking when absolutely necessary. "I, for one, applaud your efforts and look forward to your added leadership. In days to come, the world will need leaders such as yourself." Yet another shock to everyone present. It was totally unlike Squall to ever complement anyone. Now he was not only complementing Zell but praising his efforts as a symbol of true peace. Irvin began clapping, not really knowing what else to do in this kind of situation. He was soon followed by everyone else in the room. Zell smiled broadly and his face beamed a bright red color. 

"So where is Sarah now?" Selphie asked curiously. She wanted to congratulate the girl. Selphie had only known the girl for a short period of time at Balamb Garden. They had been roommates when Selphie was first transferred there and had become fast friends. Unfortunately, After the battles with Ultimecia, Selphie saw less and less of her friend until finally the girl left with Zell on their voyage across the world. Selphie forcefully brought her concentration back to the present and was surprised to notice that the whole room was struck in an uncomfortable silence yet again. She followed everyone else's gaze towards Zell's direction and noticed that he was shaking slightly and wouldn't meet anyone's gaze. 

"Zell what's wrong" Quistis asked worriedly. Still Zell remained quiet. "Has something happened to Sarah!" Selphie asked suddenly. Once this was said, everyone burst into a rain of questions and idea's at what could be wrong. Zell disregarded all of these ideas and became angrily offended and some of the ones Irvin brought up. 

"Well then if these aren't the problems, then what's wrong?" Rinoa asked patiently. "Come on Zell, talk to us" Selphie piped in. "Sarah's our friend too ya know. He have a right to know how she's doing as much as you do."

Zell blanched at this and suddenly plopped onto the couch, head hanging low. "I,… I have a confession to make everyone… I hope that you will all understand me and not judge me too harshly." Squall's head raised slightly in interest to what Zell had to say. Irvin's customary grin dissolved and he now wore a serious expression. Even Selphie had taken on an interested, non-playful, posture. All eyes were directed at Zell. 

"Well…" Zell began. His hands had become sweaty and he began clinching and unclenching them in nervousness. "Four months ago, Sarah and I were enjoying a wonderful sunset on the docks of FH. It was a beautiful night and everything was just perfect… That night I asked Sarah to marry me…" 

Rinoa squealed in joy. Everyone began smiling and Irvin slapped Zell on the back. "Congratulations buddy." 

"I'm not finished" Zell said in a harsh voice, effectively silencing the whole room. "Not long after I proposed, two weeks to be exact, Sarah and I got married."

"What!" Selphie said in shock and indignation. "Zell, you wanna repeat that?" Irvin uttered through surprised lips. "I'm sorry I never told you all but Sarah and I just wanted a quiet wedding." Zell continued in an explanatory way. "I guess we were just caught up in the moment or something. We were so happy, we didn't want to wait for everyone to get there. We just wanted to be alone." Zell could not bring his eyes to meet their faces. The room was quiet and he was sure they all seethed with rebukes for him. His eyes burned with tears and his hands were clenched in tight fists. "I'm sorry…" He muttered through clenched teeth. He felt as if he had betrayed them for some reason. He vaguely wondered if this was how Seifer felt when he sided with the sorceress over his comrades. 

To his complete shock, he felt a hand pat him on the shoulder reassuringly. Amazingly, the hand belonged to Squall. "Its ok Zell. I know exactly how you felt. Rinoa and I felt the same way before we got married. Its nothing to be ashamed of." Selphie, Rinoa and Quistis all nodded in agreement to Squall. "Yeah!" Irvin pitched in. "If it can't wait, it can't wait. Besides," he said with a shrewd grin, "I'm sure if I was at such a magnificent place with my Selphie, I wouldn't be able to wait either." His eyes flashed devilishly in Selphie's direction. "Why you pig!" Selphie yelled in disgust. She threw a book at him, which he skillfully dodged. 

"But that still doesn't answer the question" Quistis said, ignoring Selphie and Irvin's antics. "Where is Sarah?"

"Well… Sarah and I decided we didn't think it was such a good Idea for her to be traveling so much, not to mention all the commotion that would follow during the parade." Selphie became ecstatic. "Zell do you mean…" 

"Yeah Seiphy. Sarah's pregnant. By about three months now." Everyone began to cheer and root. Quistis smiled proudly as if she were his elder sister. Irvin gave Zell another pat on the back. "Good work pal." Selphie hugged him furiously. "I wanna see the baby as soon as it's born!" She squealed happily. "Congratulations" Squall said with a smile on his face. Rinoa regarded Zell with a look of playful jealousy then turned her eyes to Squall and smiled evilly. Squall groaned and everyone began laughing again.

Just then, Cid entered the room. "I see everyone has made it here alright. That's good to know." Cid had a huge smile plastered on his face. 

"President Kramer. It's a pleasure to see you again sir." Squall said formally. 

"Stop that Squall. You know I don't like being addressed formally by those close to me. By the way I couldn't help overhearing some of your previous conversation. Congratulations Zell. Being a parent is a wonderful thing. I myself am learning from that experience." Just then, Edea entered the room closely followed by a young boy of about 3 years of age. "Everyone, you all know my wife Edea. However I would like you all to meet a very special person who is very dear to me. This is Jeffry. My son." 

Rinoa smiled sweetly at the boy. "Hello there little guy. How are you? My name is Rinoa." The boy blushed shyly and began to creep behind his mother. Edea giggled at how shy her son was behaving. Everyone's attention was turned to him but he was not at all ready to meet any of their gazes. 

"Jeffry, These are my very special friends. They are like my distant children. Your mother and I took care of them when they were young. Won't you say hello?"

"Hi" was all the child would say, still hiding behind his mother's skirt. Cid turned his attention back towards Squall. "It really is good to see you again, all of you. I am holding a banquet tonight. I would greatly appreciate it if you could all attend." 

"Sir, with all due respect, shouldn't we get to Galbadia?" Squall asked. "There's plenty of time to make the necessary preparations for the ceremony in Galbadia Squall." Cid answered merrily. "I specifically asked you all here so that we may celebrate in honor of our time together when all of you were growing up. There's a lot of catching up to do. I want you all to feel at home in my mansion. It's the least I could do for all that you have done for me." 

Selphie beamed at the idea of having a banquet in a mansion. Irvin was also very pleased with these arrangements. They all seemed happy except Squall. Rinoa regarded his worried face and approached him. "Squall? Don't worry about it please? Everything will be ok. It's perfectly fine if you relax a bit with the rest of us. Nothing will go wrong, and if anything, it will do you a world of good to unwind now that you have the chance."

Squall raised his eyes to meet hers. "As always, you're perfectly right Rinoa. I-… I'll relax and enjoy the banquet with everyone else… It really has been a long time. It's a good idea that we celebrate this occasion with a feast." That settled, Cid began issuing orders to his butlers making the necessary arrangements for his guests. Everyone began to relax more and prepare themselves for a night to remember. 

The streets of Timber were dirty and garbage ridden, as the young girl named Dawn made her way across town. She shriveled her nose in disgust at the putrid smell emanating from the adjoining alleyways. This was, without a doubt, the lower, more secluded, part of town. She hated this. Everything about the atmosphere gave her a sense of dread and disgust. However this was her only lead. This was where she might possibly find 'him'. 

She had been searching for nearly two months now. Just recently she found the location of Balamb Garden and was able to get inside. However this was little help. The man she was looking for was no longer there. And to make matters worse, not only did the Head of Balamb Garden know him, she seemed to not regard him too highly either. Dawn could tell this was going to become a very difficult task if things kept going the way they were going. 

The cold air of Timber chilled her skin, giving her goose bumps. She wrapped her scarf more snuggly around her neck and clutched her coat tightly. Walking further, she noticed with distaste, that the scenery became less and less appealing in regards to the reputation of Timber. After walking a bit longer, she noticed four figures had continued to follow her. Through sheer training, she was able to keep a regular unsuspecting pace. She decided she would play dumb a bit longer until she reached a more secluded area. That way she could deal with them without having to worry about any innocents getting hurt. They hadn't gotten far, when she felt the rough hand of one of them on her shoulder. 

"X'cuse us miss. We was lost and we was wonderin if you might be able to help us find the train station." Said one of the thugs with a huge grin on his face. Dawn let a small sigh of annoyance escape her lips then turned around to face her attackers. 

"Why not just cut the crap and get to the point shall we gentlemen?"

The leader of the gang let out an evil laugh. "So you knew all along did ya? Well that aint gonna help you none toots." Dawn simply raised an eyebrow in mild interest. 

"Oh? So then I suppose your going to assault me and take all my money without so much as a peep from me right?" Dawn said with a smirk. "I'm sorry boys but I'm just not that easy. And quite frankly, you're just not that good."

The leader became enraged and swung at her, fully intending to take her out with one hit. Unfortunately, fate was not on his side, as he only hit thin air. Dawn, deftly dodged his first attack, then rushed forward with a mid blow, landing her fist firmly below his rib cage. The leader crumbled like a sack of potatos. The second thug lunged at her next. They would not have their pride hurt my some 15 year old little girl. Dawn was ready for them and delivered an axe kick to the neck of the second thug. He dropped and another took his place. She jumped back as the thug tried to stab her with a dagger. He swung again and dawn caught his fist in mid swing. She, then, brought his hand towards her and snapped his wrist and forearm. The thug screamed out in pain until she silenced him with a quick strike to the base of his neck with the palm of her hand. Now armed with a dagger, she faced off with the fourth and final thug. He also had a dagger and held it menacingly in front of her face. 

"You think your pretty hot stuff don't cha chick? Well all that's gonna end right now!" With out a second word, the thug pulled out a handful of sand from his trench coat pocket and threw it in her eyes. 

Dawn reeled back, shocked by this treacherous maneuver. She tried desperately to wipe the sand away from her eyes but was too late when she felt the heavy hand of the thug's fist slamming into her face. She fell to the ground hard. She tried to get up but was brutally kicked in the stomach by another figure. Apparently the leader had recovered. Soon all of the thugs were on their feet again and were kicking and punching her relentlessly. 

"Now were gonna have some fun chick" The leader said with an evil smile plastered on his face. Dawn tried to get up to resist but she had no more energy left after the attack. The Gang leader caressed her soft cheeks and she could feel the stench of his breath on her face. "You're a cute one aint cha, chick?" His eyes scanned her figure and she knew what he was planning. "You bastard!" She spat. The Leader and his gang began to laugh hysterically. Dawn closed her eyes tight, not wanting to see his sick face any further. 

Then, the leaders hysterical laugh suddenly became a cry of pain. Dawn shot her eyes open to see a bum standing over her and the thug leader. "Just what are you punks doing?" The bum said, enraged. The gang leader was sprawled out on the ground, clutching his groin. Apparently, the bum had good aim. The other punks didn't like this one bit and rushed at the new stranger. However, the bum seemed not to notice them. He just wobbled to the side, barely avoiding their strikes. Dawn noticed with disgust that the bum was very drunk and his thick beard was covered in alcohol. 

Soon, the bum's lazy eyes locked onto what the thugs were doing and he retaliated. One of the thugs lunged in with a knife but the bum merely sidestepped this and drove his fist in the poor man's stomach so hard he cracked some of his ribs. He, then, turned his attention away from them. The remaining two appeared slightly intimidated but rushed forward anyway. The bum didn't seem to notice. "LOOK OUT!" Dawn cried but she knew she was already too late when she saw they were already too close for him to do anything. However, he astonished her by spinning to the side at the last minute, letting them fall, head first, into the ground. He appeared to have just noticed them. "Oh." He said simply. 

The punk got back on his feet and was ready to seriously hurt this bum. Who did he think he was, making fun of the Red Spikes gang. The fourth thug threw sand at the bum preparing to do the same thing he did to dawn. Unfortunately, either the bum was one step above that or he was simply lucky. He dodged the sand, then twirled forward effectively side lining the thug with his forearm. The third thug rushed forward but the bum was onto this and threw the fourth thug at him. They crumbled on impact. The leader rose to his feet. He would not be made a fool of. 

"Now your gonna die you bum!" He screamed as he ran towards the drunkard with a dagger. The bum used part of the blanket he had around his shoulders and twirled it in front of the thug. The thug swung wildly trying to eliminate this distraction then felt a fist going across his face before he even saw it. He crumbled.

Dawn rose to her feet shakily. She had observed the bum the full time and noticed that regardless of the fact that he was drunk, he was quite good at fighting. She looked him up and down and was disgusted at the sight of him. He had tangled, messy, thick hair. His beard was also thick and covered in grime and alcohol. He wore a dirty, muck covered blanket around his shoulders. His regular T-shirt was covered in beer and putrid vomit. And the sweat pants he wore were dirty and torn at the knees. 'A totally disgusting sight indeed,' she thought to herself. Suddenly she noticed that he was staring at her as well. He had a look of curiosity on his face. "Who the hell are you?" he said in annoyance and disgust. "And what the hell am I doing here?" His eyes suddenly rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed in a drunken stupor. His eyes… Dawn walked up to him and regarded his face closely. There was something about his eyes. The SCAR! There was a scar slanting vertically in between his eyes. Could it be? She could hardly believe it but this was it. Her search was over. She had found Seifer Almasy. 

Sorry it took so long but finals preoccupied my time. But now I have the whole summer and hopefully things will work out so that I finish a lot more chapters a whole lot quicker. As always, thanks for reading! And please send all comments, flames, and or critiques to cordis_xaltun@altavista.com 


	5. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 4)

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters, places and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of the rights to any of this. This fanfic is just for fun and enjoyment. 

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 4: 

THE NEW ERA

Rinoa gasped for breath as she fell through the cloudless sky. She had no recollection of how she got here. Her only thoughts were of finding the precious air, which seemed to elude her. She struggled relentlessly for something to grab hold of. She could not breathe and she could barely move. She continued her decent. She felt herself loosing consciousness. Then everything was darkness.

Rinoa woke to find herself lying on a desert floor. As she scanned her surroundings she noticed that it was raining, however the heat was unmerciful. She gasped and yanked at her clothing to try to cool herself off, yet it was ineffective. She began to crawl about, trying to find shade. She found a shade in the horizon. It was a piece of earth that was jutting out over another. She crawled under it. Much to her surprise, she began to get unimaginably cold. She tried to crawl out but found no peace. The once hot rain had now turned to freezing hail. She screamed out at her misfortune and then she saw them. Two figures walking towards her position in the distance. One was clad in dark robes. The other was clad in white. They both wore hoods over their heads so that she could not see their faces. 

The two figures continued to walk towards her until they where only a few yards away. Then they turned to face on another and drew aside their hoods. Rinoa gasped at what she saw. The one in dark robes was Seifer Almasy. Once he was guardian, her protector, her lover, her knight. Then he had betrayed her. He had renounced all of their happy times together and sold his soul to Ultimecia. But she had forgiven him. Even though she had never saw him again after he had given her to the sorceress she had felt his pain. She had seen the hesitation in his actions and in his voice. It was then that she realized how completely he was under the control of the evil sorceress and that deep down he was still the Seifer she knew. 

The other figure in white robes was Squall. He was the new light of her life. He made everything right for her somehow. Everything fit together perfectly when she was with him. He was her new guardian. He was the one who held the key to her heart. He was her true knight. Her heart clenched when she saw the look on his face. It was plain and emotionless. That was the one thing she disliked in Squall. His former inability to express emotions. It had taken some time but finally she had broken through his shell and loved what she found inside. Squall was really a kind and caring person but he was afraid of expressing that emotion. After they were married, Squall never showed that look to her again. She was grateful for that. It meant that he trusted her. He could trust her enough to give her his heart without fear of it being broken. To see this long lost expression on his face now troubled Rinoa more then she would ever care to admit. 

She looked at the two men as they regarded each other with unfeeling contempt and hate. They circled each other, gauging the others weaknesses. She wanted to scream out and tell them to stop but much to her shock she could not speak at all. She simply watched in dread. 

Naturally, Seifer was the first one to act. Seemingly out from thin air, he whipped out his gunblade and swung it at Squall in a vertical arch. Squall dodged the attack deftly and retaliated by drawing his own gunblade, out from seemingly nothingness, and swung it downwards towards Seifer's head. Seifer dodged the attack and thrust his gunblade forward several times, attempting to impale Squall. Squall jumped back and dodged and parried each of his attacks. Then Squall thrust his own gunblade down and swung is wildly as well but he had a certain precision to his attacks. Oddly enough, Seifer dodged these attacks, side stepped, then thrust his gunblade swiftly towards Squall's mid section. Squall barely retaliated in time as he saw the gunblade flying towards his stomach. Squall jumped to the side and was grazed just below the ribs. He clutched his side but said nothing, not wanting to give his opponent the satisfaction of hearing him scream in pain. Strikingly, Seifer did not smile at his small victory. Instead his face was emotionless. For the first time Rinoa regarded Seifer's face more clearly and it made her want to cringe back in fear. There was nothing there. No emotion, no sparkle of his former pride and glory, no ambition, no nothing. His eyes were simply dead to the world, as if he were an unfeeling machine. 

Squall jumped to the side, then swung left with his gunblade. As he had anticipated, Seifer parried the blow. Then Squall brought his gunblade right knowing Seifer had not foreseen such an attack. In one split second, Seifer's head flew away from his shoulders and his body crumbled unceremoniously to the desert floor. Squall slumped to the ground exhaustedly. Suddenly everything shone in bright rays of orange light. Rinoa cried hysterically as she heard Squall scream in agony. She looked forward and saw his body being maimed by an unearthly vision of a menacing sword. Squall's arms and legs flew away as the sword worked him over. Then finally his head split from his shoulders. 

"NO!" Rinoa screamed for the very first time. Suddenly everything was white. Then she saw explosions towards her left. Looking that way she saw visions of burned and charred cities. She heard screams of agony and pain to her right. She looked that way and saw visions of people being tortured and mutilated. Then the two images began to mesh together. Rinoa screamed out in agony. Suddenly she was flying in the air, falling relentlessly once again. She could see the ground below and closed her eyes preparing for the impact. It never came. 

When she opened her eyes, she realized that she way lying in a field of flowers. Much to her surprise, it was the same spot she and squall had agreed to meet up at after time compression. She scanned her surroundings and saw a figure standing over her. The figure's back was facing her. 

"Who are you?" She asked.

**_"You already know the answer to that. Why ask questions when you already know the answers…"_**

"Your Ultimecia aren't you?"

**_"…."_**

"Why have you brought me here?"

**_"To prepare you for what is to come."_**

"Why me?"

**__**

"Because you are a sorceress, the most powerful sorceress of all the ages. You have the power to change destiny…"

"The past cannot be changed."

**_"But the future can…"_**

"What do you mean?"

**_"To him, time holds no meaning…"_**

"To who?"

**_"The laws of time are broken…"  
_**

"How can that be?"

**_"The time is near…"_**

"Why are you telling me this? Answer me!"

**_"Prepare your self…Rinoa…"_**

"NO WAIT!" Rinoa screamed as she shot awake from her nightmare. She looked around nervously and noticed she was still on the plane headed towards Deling City in Galbadia. Squall was sitting next to her. A worried look marred his face as he stared at her. Rinoa rested her head in her hands as she came to the realization that she was back. 

Squall regarded her silently for a minute. He wore a straight face but she could see the concern in his eyes. "Another dream?" He asked softly. 

Rinoa didn't meet his gaze when she responded. "Yes" she replied flatly. "I don't understand what any of this means. They keep getting more and more strange and the visions I see are more terrible every time." 

Squall said nothing as he looked at his wife in concern. He sensed that there was something more this time. He was almost positive Rinoa had seen something else in her dreams that made her nervous. But she wouldn't speak of it. And Squall respected her enough not to push her. Thus Squall simply reached out to his wife and hugged her close to him. 

Rinoa relaxed in Squall's strong embrace. There was no doubt that she loved him. However for some reason she could not get herself to mention the appearance of Ultimecia in her dream. Her eyes vaguely caught sight of Edea sitting across the seat from them. She made up her mind that when they land she would talk to her immediately. Edea was the only person who she could relate to with this. After all, she had been a sorceress under the control of Ultimecia for many years. Surly she could understand the symbolism of her visions. 

Rinoa's thoughts were interrupted as a loud voice came over the intercom of the plane. "ATTENTION ALL PASSENGERS. WE WILL BE LANDING WITHIN THE NEXT 15 MINUTES. AT THIS TIME, WOULD ALL OCCUPANTS PUT ON THEIR SEAT BELTS. IT'S BEEN A REAL PLEASURE HAVING YOU ABOARD."

Zell snickered at this. "I'm sure it has been a pleasure." He said sarcastically as he strapped on his seatbelt. "Carrying the party of seeds who took down the great sorceress Ultimecia. Not to mention we're flying with the president of Balamb who is now on his way to form a united power with Galbadia in the name of peace. Heh, this pilot will be bragging for the rest of his life!" 

Irvin chuckled at this and stared mischievously at the slumbering Selphie sitting next to him. "I agree Zell. Poor Selphie here is gonna have to put up with all my female fans. Hmmm I can see it now… The Kinneas fan club…" 

Quistis sighed in disgust. "Oh Irvin get over yourself! Being a seed is not about glamour! Besides, if you think your whole purpose in life it to be an admired idol to the public, you may start getting the same delusions Seifer did."

Irvin wore a mock expression of hurt on his face. "Why Quistis, you wound me! You know it's impossible for anyone to be 'that' arrogant and self-centered!" All three of them began laughing at that. 

"Yes, that was a special trait only Seifer could pull off." Quistis agreed, with an amused smile on her face. 

"Remember the time, back at the orphanage, when Seifer tried to take all the cookies and even after he got caught he still tried to play the big man?" Zell asked, reminiscing on old times. Irvin nodded his head slightly. "What an arrogant idiot." He said. Quistis lowered her head in deep thought for a moment. "I believe his exact words were, 'Matron, if I hadn't done it, one of those bratty kids would have. This way I'm saving them from getting punished by removing the obstacle.'" Quistis began to laugh at how foolish his words sounded now that they were all older. Zell soon joined in. Then Irvin started laughing as well, unable to hold it in any longer. 

Rinoa's eyes widened in shock as she saw a slight grin form on Squalls face. He too was thinking back to that time. It had been a hilarious sight to see Seifer get caught with all that chocolate on his face and hands. It had been even funnier to see him try to swindle his way out of it. 

Ivrin's eyes were watering. "And how about the time when we were all playing hide and seek and Zell accidentally locked himself in the closet!" They all burst into uncontrollable laughter. Selphie woke from all the noise and looked around curiously at everyone's odd behavior. "What's everyone laughing so hard about?" She asked innocently. Quistis couldn't help herself. "We were talking about that time when you were at the orphanage and you tried to dry your cat off by putting it in the dryer." They laughed even harder. Zell's face was now streaming with tears.

Cid and Edea sat in the background smiling fondly at old memories. "You know, I'm glad they all stuck together like this. It's times like these when true friends count the most." 

"I know." Edea replied to her husband. "They all seemed so inseparable when they were younger. It's heartwarming to see them all now so many years later. They've all grown so much."

Cid was quiet for a moment. "It's really unfortunate what happened to Seifer. He was always a trouble spot when they were younger but he was still a good kid at heart."

Edea looked at Cid lovingly. "Sometimes we all don't get happy endings honey. Seifer chose his own path. He was controlled by Ultimecia just like I was however we each have our own way of dealing with what we've done."

"We don't even know if the boy is still alive. He was always impossible like that. I just think that if he did survive that last encounter, the least he could do is fess up to what he has done and reconcile. I think that would be a great benefit to all of them." 

"Cid sometimes these things take time. And besides, you know that boy was never one to admit his own faults. Its shocking when you thing of how similar he was to Squall. So similar yet at the same time so different."

"I for one am glad Squall didn't take the same path. The boy's got more of a level head on his shoulders. I'm proud of him and I don't regret my decision in placing him as head of Garden. The boy seems born for the task."

Edea nodded at this. "Yes, Squall is definitely a very remarkable young man." Edea looked off for a bit, somewhat troubled. 

"Edea dear, what is the matter?" Cid asked with a worried expression on his face. 

"I… don't really know. It's just that I have a feeling… I can't explain it but it's a very bad feeling about what these kids will face in the future. Its been troubling me for a while. I suppose it is only the after effects of Ultimecia's presence and the over protective nature of a Matron at work here."

Cid conceded to this but still regarded his wife with a concerned look. "Wow!" Cid turned around at the loud voice he just heard. Sitting next to him, he saw his son jeffry staring outside the window looking at the runway as their plane approached it. Cid smiled warmly realizing that this was their son's first time in a plane. It must have been very exciting for him.

Minutes after hitting the runway, the plane screeched to a halt. The pilot got out and opened the doors for his passengers. As Squall and the others made their way down the steps, they where greeted by three men wearing top collar, Galbadian military suits.

One of the men in the suits gave them a crisp salute. "Garden General Lionheart; Balamb President Kramer; and last but certainly not least, honored guests and famed members of seed, by the orders of the President of Galbadia, we hereby welcome you to Deling City and hope your stay with us is to your utmost satisfaction."

Squall and his companions all returned the salute. Cid stepped forwards "As President of Balamb, I hereby accept your welcome and am deeply honored by your words." 

"On behalf of Garden, I am flattered by your words. Thank you." Squall said, preferring not to say much in regards to formalities. 

"Thank you for your kind words." The Official said. "If you both will follow me, ill take you to our president. Your guests will be led to the royal guestroom and will be given seats accommodating their position during the ceremony. Mrs. Lionheart, The President would also appreciate your audience with him after the ceremony is over."

"Of course." Rinoa said, pleased with the Official's words. She had missed her father greatly but she understood the importance of the meeting he was going to share with Squall and Cid. She knew that there was plenty of time for reunions after the ceremony. Also this would be a convenient time for her to talk with Edea alone about the visions she had been having. 

Irvin let out a low scoff at how they were being treated in comparison to Cid and Squall but he kept his mouth shut. Zell also wore a look of indignation. "Well I'm offended." He said, barley keeping his tone in check. I had no idea some presidents get props over others." 

The Official looked at Zell then flushed suddenly. "I'm sorry sir! I had no idea! Would you also accompany President Kramer, General Lionheart, and I to see our President? I'm sure he would be most pleased to meet the new President of FH." 

Zell wore a pleased look on his face. "It's understandable." He said openly. "As it is, I understand the importance of this ceremony so ill just speak with the President when its over. If peace truly is in the air, we'll have to talk sooner or later." 

Everyone around was surprised at how maturely Zell handled the situation. The Seeds and the Kramer family were shocked at how much Zell matured. They never thought he would ever utter the words he just did. The Galbadian officials, on the other hand, were surprised they got off so easily but were more then happy to accept their graces were they got them. 

"U-Understood, Sir." Said the Galbadian Official who was the apparent speaker of the group. "And thank you for your mercies. I'm sure our President would be delighted to share words with you about peace prospects." The official then cleared his throat, returning to the original purpose of this meeting. "If you don't mind, without further delay, if you would follow me this way President Kramer and Garden General Lionheart? 

Squall watched his friends depart in a separate limousine as he and Cid were being led towards Galbadian President Caraway's office. Squall almost laughed to himself as he thought of the irony of it all. The last time he was here on an official mission from seed was when he, Zell and Selphie had been assisting the Forest Owls. Their mission was to abduct their former President and assassinate the Sorceress. Squall briefly thought about how different his friends were now after three years. Zell, of all people, was the President of FH! Selphie was an instructor on combat! Irvin too! Out of all of them, Quistis had the least unsurprising life. She was now the main headmaster of Balamb Garden. Right under Squall's position. Squall was relieved about that. Quistis was always a huge support for him and she supplied him with direction when he was unsure of himself. She was an invaluable friend and surrogate sister figure to him. Even Squall had changed. He never would have expected himself to be sitting here making peace treaties on behalf of all of Garden. _'I guess everything changes fast in three years.' _Squall mused to himself. 

Before Squall realized it, the car came to a stop. They had reached the presidential office. The Official held the door open for them then led them through the great halls of Caraway's Manor. Cid said nothing as he walked towards their destination and Squall was preoccupied with studying the splendor of Caraway's home. It was very pleasant to look at however it lacked the intensity of Cid's own home. Cid had a certain historic relevance to his elegance, while caraway only showed off his wealth with expensive statues and priceless vases. The Official led them to a highly decorated double door, then knocked on it twice. The door was promptly opened by an assistant and they made their way inside. 

The Official stepped forward. "Mr. President, Balamb President Kramer and Garden General Squall here to see you as you requested."

Caraway turned around to face them. He had aged slightly since the last time squall saw him. He now had more gray hair then black. His suit was highly decorated in a Galbadian fashion with their symbol crest on his overcoat. His shoulders were highly decorated in a military style and he still wore his customary white gloves. His uniform was a navy blue color with glossy white shoes. And he now wore glasses to accommodate his, now failing, vision.

"Thank you," Caraway said to his Official. "That is all, you may go."

"At your leave Sir." The Official gave a crisp salute then exited the room. 

Caraway turned his eyes to Cid next. "Welcome to my manor President Kramer. I trust you find my accommodations to your liking?" 

Cid laughed a bit at the formalities. "Very much so, thank you. However flatteries were never your style Caraway. Why the drastic change?" Caraway couldn't help but laugh at Cid's blunt statement. "When you become a president of a nation that is constantly at war you find that formalities are most commonly the norm, especially when talking with people of equal ranking."

Cid nodded in understanding. "I realize how stressing that must be. But where are my manners. President Caraway I present to you Garden General Lionheart. I'm sure the two of you have met before?"

"Indeed we have" Caraway said with a slight smile on his face. "It has been a while, has it not Squall? I trust you are treating my daughter well?"

Squall flushed slightly. "Yes sir, it has been some time. And yes Rinoa and I are perfectly happy." 

"Good, I would expect nothing less from you Squall. My daughter is deeply in love with you and it would break her heart if the two of you had problems. You're a fine man Squall. Cid made a good choice appointing you as head of Garden."

_'That's what everyone always says.'_ Squall thought to himself in annoyance. "Thank you Sir." He replied simply. 

Caraway simply nodded crisply. "And while we are still on the issue of introductions, President Cid and General Lionheart, I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce you to one of the finest officers of Galbadia." Caraway then pointed towards a very tall figure standing to one side of the room. 

The tall man stepped forward towards the group. Squall's eyes lightly widened as he watched the man approach. He was at least seven feet in height. His frame was also very huge. Squall had to guess that the man had done extensive weight lifting. His complexion was a dark tan color. He had short chopped, raven black hair. And his bushy eyebrows overshadowed penetrating black eyes, which seemed to be full of intensity. 

The man stared straight at Squall, apparently sizing him up. Caraway wore a big smile on his face. "My good friends, I'd like you to meet Zeilak, Supreme General of all Galbadian military forces." The General nodded towards Cid and shook his hand graciously. "It is a pleasure to meet you sir." He said in a deep voice. He then looked towards Squall and proceeded to approach the young General of Garden. He wore a big smile on his face and extended his rough weathered, hand towards him. "And it is a 'very' great honor to meet one as great as yourself General Lionheart. I have heard many good things about you. The youngest man ever to become a General, yet at the same time, the one man most deserving of such a title. It is truly a great pleasure. You are an inspiration to all of us." 

Squall was momentarily taken aback by such praise and found that he was speechless. Zeilak seemed to sense Squalls discomfort and merely gave him another reassuring smile then turned back towards President Cid. "If all the seeds you've trained turned out like this young man, then I'm not surprised Ultimecia lost to them. Cid wore a very proud smile on his face. "General Zeilak, General Lionheart here is one of a kind. The best seed ever produced from Garden." 

Squall was so flustered that he merely gave a crisp nod. "Thank you Sir. Your too kind." Cid merely chuckled as he shook his head at Squall's modesty. 

Zeilak turned towards Caraway. "Sir as we had discussed earlier, the preparations for the ceremony are already underway and await your command." Caraway nodded towards his Supreme General. "Very good General; excellent job. You may go and issue the order. The ceremony will begin within the next thirty minutes. Be ready." 

General Zeilak saluted smartly. "Very well Sir. I shall issue the order at once. President Cid, it's been a great pleasure Sir. And you too General Squall. I look forward to our next meeting with all alacrity." He turned back towards Caraway. "By your leave Sir." Zeilak then turned crisply and exited the room. 

President Caraway had a pleased smile on his face. "He is truly an invaluable asset to Galbadia. He has benefit our nation greatly with his undying loyalty and support." As if breaking out of a short reverie, the Galbadian President immediately turned his attention back towards Cid and Squall. "Now, on to the business at hand. Cid, the ceremony will start off with…"

Squall stared off in the distance, not particularly paying much attention to the last minute arrangements Caraway and Cid were discussing. He constantly felt that his place wasn't here. Not with all the formal greetings and empty pleasantries. He couldn't stand all the political talk. Squall was not one for politics. The introduction of the Galbadian General had made him feel even worse. Was this truly what people thought of him as? A legend? He was not at all comfortable with the whole charade and was much more content with simply doing his job on the battlefield. 

"Squall?" Squall jumped back to reality when he heard his name being called. "Yes? Sorry Sir, you were saying?"

Caraway looked at Squall with concern but continued what he was saying. "Squall, I want you to stand next to Cid during the ceremony. As the General of Garden, it will stand as a symbol of Gardens duty to Protect its founder and at the same time it will serve as an acceptance of Gardens role in becoming unified with Galbadia and Balamb."

Squall nodded his head in consent. Caraway continued talking but squall only halfheartedly listened to him. _'This is going to be a long day.'_ Squall thought to himself. 

****

Rinoa smiled as she watched Edea play little games with her son Jeffry. It was such a charming sight to see Edea with children. After everything she did under the control of Ultimecia, it was a good turn around. She deserved all the happiness she could get after what she was forced to go through with harboring Ultimecia's spirit in her body for all those years. 

Zell was sitting in the seat to the far left-hand side of the room next to the fireplace. He was playing poker with Irvin and by the look on his face, he appeared to be loosing. Selphie was watching them play with idle curiosity. Quistis was sitting on the sofa reading through some seed documents she had brought with her. _'Now would be the best time to get Edea alone without any interruptions.' _Rinoa thought to herself. 

She slowly made her way towards Edea without making herself noticeable to everyone else in the room. Edea looked up as she saw Rinoa approaching her. She lifted Jeffry off of her knee and gently set him on the right side of the couch next to her. Rinoa sat on the opposite side. _'Well here goes…'_ She mentally prepared herself. 

"Hi Rinoa, is there something I can do for you?" Edea asked kindly. "Hi Edea, y-yes actually I was wondering if you could help me with something." Edea detected the note of hesitation in Rinoa's voice and immediately took on a more serious posture. 

"I'd be delighted to help in any way I can. What is it that you need?" Edea was trying to sound more encouraging. Ever since being possessed by sorceress Ultimecia, Edea found a desperate need to help others in any way she could. She felt as if she had betrayed her foster children by failing to resist Ultimecia's control. Every time she thought of the events she did as the sorceress, she felt sick. She could still clearly see Irvin aiming his gun towards her head in her mind's eye. She could see all of her children, who once sat with her as she read them bedtime stories, now grown to adulthood, preparing to attack her and end the threat of the sorceress. To her, that image was worse then death. If Ultimecia had any plan to punish Edea for some wicked reason, she had succeeded in the worst way possible. All Edea hoped to accomplish now was to somehow atone for her failure and help as much as she could. 

"Well… Edea I know this is a touchy subject and all but… well, when you were a sorceress, did you ever…I dunno… hear the voices of other sorceresses?"

Edea lowered her head in shame. This was indeed a very touchy subject for her but she would answer Rinoa's question even if it meant calling up those painful memories once again. "Rinoa…" She began, meticulously. "As a sorceress, I constantly heard the voices of Ultimeci-" 

"No! I'm sorry Edea but I mean other voices, voices that actually conversed with you and gave you… insight on the future?"

Edea was quiet for a moment. She was perplexed that Rinoa would ask such a question, yet at the same time she felt something. Something told her she knew exactly what Rinoa was talking about but something else was holding her back. She closed her eyes, trying to think back for a moment to the time when she was still a sorceress. She remembered a faint voice that would tell her of evils to come. That was what made her decided to establish Garden and train seeds. To avoid the evil that the voices prophesized, she took steps to prepare the world so that the calamities would never happen. Could something similar be happening to Rinoa now? She finally decided to answer honestly with her. 

"There…was a time, yes. I… I was not clear on what the voices were telling me, however I did what they told me to. I was Young and naïve I suppose. They gave me two courses of action that I could take. I naturally chose the lesser of the two evils… I openly allowed myself to become a puppet for Ultimecia. I tried to resist but she used me for her sick desires anyway. The vision told me this would happen if I had chosen the path that I had but at the time I felt it was the right choice to make."

Rinoa was quiet for a moment. After a while she replied. "Do you still think it was the right choice to make?" 

"I honestly have no clue my child. In choosing my path, I had prevented the greater calamity from occurring… however the costs were great… so very great… and the wounds were deep. If I were to say my actions were just, it would only be for my own self-gratification. What some would consider as 'the correct course of action', others would view as a selfish choice made from ones own personal opinions of what is good and what is not. All I can say is that I made my choice and now all I can do is atone for the consequences and try to make due the best I can." 

At that point, Rinoa felt a huge load of sympathy for the former Matron of the seed orphanage. She had suffered so much, yet no one really understood the severity of that turmoil. Her heart wanted to burst out for this tortured soul, however she had no words of condolence to say to her. She had been similarly under the control of Ultimecia and had also done many cruel things yet she had never been prepared for it. She couldn't imagine what dread Edea must have went through to know that someday she may wake up to find she was no longer in control of her own actions. To know that day would come but not be able to do anything about it. Rinoa felt warm tears slide down her soft cheeks as she uttered a silent reply. "I'm sorry…" 

"No." Edea said softly. "Don't be sorry for me Rinoa. We all must make choices in our lives. Weather they are the right ones or not is one median. However, the true task is knowing when you have made a mistake and taking steps to correct it." 

Rinoa nodded her head in understanding. She had not wanted to cause Edea such pain and turmoil. "Edea…" she said slowly. She waited a moment to collect herself. Edea waited patiently for Rinoa to get ready for whatever she had to say. "Edea … I've also been hearing voices. I've seen visions of a possible future." Edea was quiet as she took this information in. She seamed to have a worried look on her face but Rinoa didn't notice. "The visions were so awful. They all pertained to destruction. The most troubling one was my last one. Squall and Seifer were in it. It was weird. They were dueling and I wanted them to stop yet I couldn't say anything until an unknown force came in. Oh Edea it was so horrible. The visions of what it did to Squall. And then I was in a field." Rinoa found that she was very nervous and afraid to continue with her story. Edea simply closed her eyes, absorbing all of this information in. when she finally opened her eyes and nodded towards Rinoa to continue, Rinoa found the task harder and harder to carry out. 

Finally working up enough confidence, Rinoa continued. "Edea, I… I saw Ultimecia." Edea's eyes widened in shock and she let out an involuntary gasp. Rinoa continued. "W- we talked. She told me something about a new threat and that only I could stop it. She said I have the power to change destiny and that all of the previous boundaries of time are broken while this new menace threatens us. Edea I don't understand what she means. What does she want me to do? How am I to stop this horrible nightmare from becoming reality?" Rinoa was now becoming somewhat frantic and urgent. Her visions were finally breaking down her last barriers of patience. 

Edea was quiet. She stared into space in deep thought for a moment. Rinoa became restless. She didn't know what was going through Edea's mind. She desperately wanted Edea to tell her she wasn't crazy. She wanted her to reassure her that everything was going to be ok. She wanted… no she needed Edea's comforting words of support. 

Finally Edea lifted her head towards Rinoa once again. "Rinoa… I too have been having these perceptions. I had initially hoped that it was just a side effect of being possessed by Ultimecia. There are no words I can give you of reassurance except that we can only prepare ourselves for the turmoil to come. However, I can promise you this Rinoa. Whatever happens, ill be there for you. I will support you and help you through this no matter what. Whatever we face out there, we face together." 

Rinoa felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Tears sprang to her eyes as she gazed at Edea. "Oh Edea… thank you. You can't imagine how afraid and alone I have been in this. Thank you for your support." Edea smiled fondly at her. "Everything will be fine my child. Maybe this is another opportunity for my redemption." 

Rinoa was quiet for a bit, then looked up at Edea again, rather shyly. "Uhh… Edea there's something else I wanted to ask you as well. I didn't want to tell Squall but I've been –" Just then the doors abruptly opened and an Official entered the room. Zell and Irvin wore expressions of annoyance at being interrupted from their game. Selphie looked curious as to why the official entered the room and Quistis simply stoop up and put her seed documents away for another occasion. "I'm terrible sorry to disturb you." The Official began. "But the ceremony will begin in five minutes. If you would all please follow me, I will lead you to your reserved seats." 

One after another, they all followed the official out of the room and headed towards the area where the ceremony was to be held. To Rinoa's surprise, the area was the exact same place Edea had issued her speech from during the second Sorceress war with Ultimecia. Over three years ago, Edea stood along with the company of the Deling President and herself. Now the roles were replaced with the figures of Presidents Caraway and Kramer and flanked by the presence of the Garden General, Squall Lionheart. The Official silently led her and the others to their V.I.P. seats and Cid began his monumental speech. 

****

Cid stood on the platform marveling at the beauty of Deling City from such heights. The irony of promoting a speech of unity in an atmosphere of serenity and peace hadn't escaped his mind. He smiled broadly as he prepared to give the speech that would change the future of the world forever. 

"Ladies and gentleman," He began. "I want to personally thank all of you for coming to this very momentous occasion. Today marks the day of unconditional unity for, not only Balamb and Galbadia but also hopefully for the whole world! My fellow cohorts our history is plagued with the atrocities of wars and oppression. We are but pawns in an endless cycle by those who would use us to further their own ends and benefits. Today, President Caraway and I are prepared to change all of that. Every human life is precious. And at the same time, every human is responsible for his or her own actions. No one should force them to do what they don't believe is right. Yet this was exactly what happened over three years ago. We blindly followed the will of the sorceress, hoping that she would give us peace. Hoping that she would give us a war that would end all wars. However, I stand here to tell you that she was wrong! That we were wrong to believe her! We don't need the security of a Sorceress to guide our ways to peace. We can make peace by ourselves; through our own actions! We are not pawns that are to be used by those who have power. We are responsible for our own lives and thus we are responsible for our own peace! The unification of Galbadia, and Balamb is a symbol to all that we 'can' and 'will' make peace amongst ourselves. It is my dream that by our actions, war shall become a think of the past!" 

Thunderous applause and adulation for his speech rewarded Cid. President Caraway regarded him with a bright smile and nodded his head. "As President of Galbadia, I hereby accept Balamb President, Kramer's stand for unity and hereby unite the countries of Galbadia and Balamb as one!" Squall stepped forward. "As head of Garden, I, Squall Lionheart, hereby declare that Garden will enforce and protect such peace so that none should bring hardship on this new unity of peace! Garden, which was once an institution for mercenaries of war, shall now be recognized as protectors of peace!" Caraway broke out a huge smile. Cid also smiled broadly. Their dreams of peace were now recognized at last. Squall kept a rigid face but inside, he was elated that such a time had finally come to pass. 

Cid turned to face President Caraway and extended his hand in a public gesture of friendship as well as unification. Caraway reached out to meet his handshake however their hands never met as, instead, Caraway's eyes became large and glazed. Cid was utterly horrified as he noticed the sharp object of an ICE 3 shard protruding through Caraway's chest from his back. Blood oozed from his mouth as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His, now lifeless, body fell unceremoniously to the cold marble floor and was soon overshadowing a pool of his own blood. 

For a split second, everything froze. No one spoke as shock and the realization of what just happened sunk in. Cid was astounded and still in complete shock. Zell, who had been prepared to stuff a hotdog in his mouth, now dropped the forgotten hotdog and stared in a wide-eyed stupor of disbelief. Irvin blinked furiously, as if trying to dispel a bad dream. Quistis mouth formed the words 'oh god' but nothing came out. Selphie was completely confused and refused to believe what had transpired right before her very eyes. Everyone was in denial yet the seconds of shock were broken with a horror stricken scream. 

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rinoa yelled at the top of her lungs. Squall was the first to act, broken out of his slight stupor by Rinoa's scream, he ran right in front of Cid, protecting him with his body. He silently berated himself for not acting on time. For not protecting Caraway, and for not acting as soon as the assassination had happened. Squall scanned the area for some sign of the attacker. However after looking down at Caraway's lifeless body he was completely taken aback. The weapon used for his murder was almost the exact replica of the ICE 3 shard that he himself had been impaled with by Edea at that parade all those years ago. He was so absorbed with this new fact that he hadn't noticed Cid's urgent cry. "SQUALL LOOK OUT!" Suddenly Cid rammed Squall off of the Platform. As Squall fell listlessly, he saw similar shards of ICE 3 immediately impaled Cid, three in his back and two more in his legs. Only by sheer training was Squall able to position himself on the supports of the huge platform. Upon seeing Cid bombarded by ice shards, Squall became enraged and began to hoist himself back up. Suddenly a red beam of light seared the platform in half cutting it off from the adjoining corridors and allowing it to fall listlessly to the ground. Squall lost his balance and began to slide precariously down the side of the great structure. When he finally got close enough to the ground, Squall leapt off and tumble rolled over to his hands and knees. When he raised his eyes to the falling platform, he immediately had to shield them again as it suddenly exploded into a ball of flames. _'Who the hell did this?'_ Squall thought to himself in rage. This wasn't 'just' an assassination, it was a slaughter. There was nothing even remotely resembling the platform. Instead, there was simply a burning wreckage. Squall's eyes widened when he saw the outline of a huge man in armor standing amongst the flames. "YOU!" Squall seethed in rage as he rose to his feet. He could see the figure clearly now. The armor was a menacing black. The shoulder plates were huge and circular with spikes protruding from them. The chest plates and body armor clearly defined his muscular stature and also had spikes jutting out from the shoulders and back. The forearm plates had similar but small spikes shooting from them. He also wore waist, thigh, knee, and boot paddings which were also reinforced with the same colored armor and similar protruding blades. Underneath this horrible armor, he wore a similar black colored chain mail. And connecting from his shoulder spikes hung a huge black cape with red lining inside. His facemask, which currently rested in his arms, was horrible to look at. It had the shape of a demon face with sharp horns coming from either side of its head. Upon looking at the man's face, Squall's whole world crumbled. It was 'him', it was Zeilak. 

Squall roared with fury as he rose to his feet and rushed towards him. "YOU BASTARD!" He screamed as he raised his gunblade, preparing to kill him with one hit. Squall's Garden uniform, now dirtied and ripped from the previous attack, fluttered freely as he ripped his honorary cloak from his shoulders with his free hand. Then he grasped the hilt of his weapon to better control his attack. 

Suddenly, Squall flew backwards through the air from the force of another ICE 3 shard as it impaled him in the chest. Squall screamed out in agonizing pain as he hit the pavement. The ICE 3 shard had entered deep into his chest and was protruding all the way to his back. He could barley breath as he stared up at the sky with blood spurting from his mouth. However that view was soon overshadowed as a man in an onyx cloak loomed into his vision. This had been the man casting the magic all along. 

****

Everyone was in complete shock. People were running around, screaming in shock. The Galbadian military could barley hold the people at bay. As a matter of fact, they were just as confused and engulfed in turmoil as everyone else. Everything happened so fast, no one knew exactly how to react. Zell couldn't believe what he was seeing. First he sees the President of Galbadia falling to his death. Next thing he knows Cid is sacrificing himself for Squall. And Squall is narrowly escaping death and then is engulfed in a lake of fire. Suddenly it all starts to sink in for Zell. His friends were dying all around him and he was just standing there aimlessly. "NO!" Zell screamed. He wouldn't lose anymore of his friends today. 

He immediately jumped off the balcony seats. As he descended his arms started to flare up as he unlocked his limit break. He directed his attack towards the man who was standing over Squalls prone form. This outraged Zell. As the images of Squalls limp figure entered his mind, tones of pent up emotions began to flare in his thoughts and transfer over to the energy of his attack. "YOU BASTARDS" Zell screamed as he finally swung his energy charged fists towards the cloaked man standing in front of Squall. To his utter surprise, his target was blocked by what seemed to be a huge wall. As Zell's fists slammed into that wall he noticed, with disbelief, that he had no effect on it. Instead he reeled back as pain shot through his knuckles. Raising his head up, Zell was shocked to see that it wasn't a wall at all but rather it was some type of a humanoid figure. 

"What the hell are you?" Zell muttered, trying to suppress his pain. The stranger looked like his skin was made of marble but Zell knew that it had to be way stronger then that, stronger then even adamantine. He wore a Black cloak similar to the one the man standing over squall was wearing. It was lined with gold underneath and the man's clothing was also black. His shirt was loose fitting with no sleeves. And his pants were baggy and folded beneath his boots which came up to his ankles. 

The figure simply stared at Zell with an amused glint in his eyes. "So you're the one they call Zell Dincht eh? The renowned 'martial artist'?" 

Zell noticed the hint of irony and sarcasm in his voice and immediately became angry. "Your gonna pay for what you did to my friend you [f&*#@.][1]"

This only amused the tall figure even more. "Oh? And what are 'you' going to do about it, 'little man'."

Zell wouldn't take any more of this. "That's it man! Get ready to feel the pain!" He screamed as he rushed towards the mountain man again. Zell delivered a swift jab to the side then a quick upper cut and a right hook then leapt into the air with a flip kick. As he backed away, half from exhaustion and half from the pain of impacting on such a solid object, Zell noticed with shock that his attacks had no effect at all. "W-what the hell? Hey no fair man!" Zell yelled in outrage.

The man simply laughed more. "Is that all you got? I'm disappointed in you Mr. Dincht. It appears that I have been wasting my time with you." Suddenly he pulled his arm back with what Zell assumed was the speed of light then launched it forward striking Zell against the face. Zell found himself soaring through the air like a sac of potatoes. But the mountain man was not done with the poor seed yet. He immediately closed the distance and slammed his fist hard against Zell's rib cage, effectively shattering several of them. Zell was totally spent. He crashed pitifully to the ground. His opponent simply stood over him regarding him is disgust. "Oh come on. I hope your not done yet. The fun's only just begun." 

****

"ZELL!" The seeds had all moved away from their seats and were now on ground level ready to face this new threat. Irvin whipped out his shotgun and shook it hard forcing it to cock itself. He then drew it forward in the same motion and fired at the man who was making short work of Zell. However as the bullet soared through the air it was knocked of track by another bullet. "What the hell?" Irvin screamed in shock and anger. "Who the hell did th-" Suddenly Irvin's words were cut off as he was knocked back by another bullet that had struck him in the shoulder. Irvin clutched his wound and scrambled over behind an overturned vehicle.

Quistis let out a frustrated sigh. They were outnumbered and losing rapidly. As far as she knew, Squall was near death, facing a menace seemingly more horrible then ultimecia, Zell was getting the living hell beaten out of him by some freak with rock hard skin, and Irvin was getting sniped by someone no one could see. She had had enough. Quistis stepped forward to take charge and get them organized for an effective retaliation. "Everyone pull back! We are at a disadvantage if we stay he-" Quistis never got the chance to finish that statement as huge coils wrapped themselves around her arms neck and legs. She could breath. Then she was violently flung to the side of a bulding, knocking her into darkness. The creature that had had Quistis wrapped in its coils wouldn't stop there. He then swung her in a full circle before bringing her down hard onto the pavement. This creature was also wearing a black cloak with gold lining and he wore a black silken shirt with baggy sleeves that folded at the elbows. From his elbows he had large tentacle coils protruding from disfigured forearms. The coils were electrically charged and looked as if they had a certain poisonous tint to them as well. His shirt came down to a V shape and his pants were also baggy and met at the boots. His face was shrouded in cloth but his eyes were a menacing blood red and seemed to glow with power and insanity. 

Selphie was thoroughly scared now. 'What the hell were these things?' She thought to herself. 'Why couldn't her friends beat them and why were they losing like this?' She wanted to reach out to Irvin but the sheer sight of him made her heart break. He was leaned exhaustedly against the back of a car. Blood was flowing loosely from the bullet wound in his shoulder and his face was beaded with sweat. Only one thought entered Selphie's mind at that point. _'Were going to die…'_

****

Rinoa, who was a few yards behind Selphie, hiding behind one of the trees, saw the fear in Selphie's eyes. She scanned the area viewing all of her friends and it suddenly came to her. "This is just like my dream…" She said quietly. Edea was sitting next to her, apparently still in shock over what happened to her husband. At Rinoa's words, Edea's trance seemed to break. "What did you say?" She asked Rinoa in a flat voice. "T- they're all going to die. I saw it in my vision. Irvin, Zell, Selphie, all of them, even my Squall… They're all going to die…" "No…" Edea said quietly. 

Suddenly a new voice entered Rinoa's mind.

**__**

"Pathetic little girl…"

Rinoa looked up scanning the area for the owner of the voice but she knew who it was automatically. "U-…Ultimecia?…"

**__**

"You have the power to change all of this. You have the power to change destiny. Do you dare stay silent and allow your friends to die?"

"What can I do?"

**_"You are a sorceress…"_**

"How am I to fight"

**__**

"That is for you to decide. Search your heart young sorceress. The power is there, it is simply waiting to be untapped…"

"H-how do I do that?" But somehow Rinoa knew that the voice would not reply anymore. The words slowly sunk into Rinoa's mind and she knew that this was it. She knew at that moment that she would not allow things to proceed the way she saw them in her vision. "I will not allow this" Rinoa said slowly, firm resolve evident in her voice.

****

"Aaargh!" Irvin Screamed as another bullet passed through his knee. He immediately fell to the ground. He dragged himself back behind the vehicle as several more bullets pelted the area he was just at. Irvin was in pain and he knew for a fact that running was out of the question. He vaguely wondered if he would ever even be able to walk again with this new bullet wound. 

Selphie screamed out for Irvin and was now running towards him. "SELPHIE NO!" Irvin screamed as he saw a figure land right in front of the poor girl. Selphie would not be deterred though. She whipped out her nunchucks and attacked the figure violently. However the figure dodged her attacks and pulled out a long staff from her black cloak. As the figure came into the light she revealed herself to be an attractive woman with purple hair tied into a tight ponytail. Just like the others, her black cloak was lined with gold and her black silken shirt was loose fitting and had baggy sleeves. She also wore baggy pants as well. However, her looks were not to be taken for granted. She swung the staff effortlessly and knocked Selphie's nunchucks from her hands. She then twirled her staff in a wide arch and rammed it into selphie's stomach knocking the wind out of the poor girl. Irvin simply looked on in horror and agony as the woman he loved was slowly being beaten to death. 

****

Squall tried to sit up but pain suddenly shot though his chest. Squall suddenly froze, afraid that he was dying. Much to his relief, however, the ICE blade was impaled in his right chest. Almost on cue, the cloaked figure standing before him spoke. "It seems that you have the devil's luck Lionheart. That ICE blade was meant to kill you however it appears I struck the wrong side of the chest. Oh well it seems ill just have to correct that little error." Squall simply let out a rough grunt in reply to the man's statement. The man standing before him was wearing a dark black cloak which draped over to the front of him. On one side of the cloak was a gold crest bearing the emblem of a demon's face with two lances shooting criss cross underneath. Under the cloak the man wore a silken black robe which had a loose belt at the waist. Under the robes he wore black baggy pants and black boots just like his comrades. As squall studies his face, he noticed the man had long, raven black hair which was tied at the nape of his skull by a black coiled wire. His eyes were a deep brown and his skin was slightly pale. 

He gave a crooked smile as he noticed Squall studying his features. "Get a good look while you can Lionheart. I'll be the last thing you see in this world." He, then, raised his hand above Squall's face. Squall was mesmerized as he saw intense blue energy forming into the man's palm. However, just then something blew the energy away from his hand. The cloaked man sneered in anger and searched the area for his attacker. Then his eyes landed on Rinoa standing in the clearing. His sneer quickly became a grin of pure evil. " A sorceress…" He said with such venom and lust for blood that Squall cringed inwardly. Squall tried to rise but was immediately struck with intense pain in his chest. The cloaked man simply regarded Squall with annoyance then looked off into the distance. "Knight, deal with him. I will handle the sorceress." He then walked off towards Rinoa. 

Squall began to rise again, despite his pain but he was suddenly knocked back to the ground as he barely block a sword thrust in time. "Think not on the foes who leave you but rather think more on the foes at hand." Came the voice of his attacker. Squall looked up at this new foe. The man wore a black cloak similar to the rest. However, underneath that cloak the man wore gleaming, white armor, fully plated from the neck down. Underneath his armor, Squall saw the gleaming hue of chain mail. This new opponent looked as if he was directly pulled out from the fairy tale books of how a knight should look. However Squall's expression became grim when he noticed the man's weapon. It was an automatic gunblade. The handle was like a 9 mm however there was an added length of metal from the bottom of the handle that came all the way up to his elbow. The length up metal was bladed at its end. He main part of his gunblade was double edged and Squall was completely sure that the man knew how to use it effectively. The man's face was slightly haggard and old. Squall noticed that the man had to be at least around his mid fifties however that didn't take away from the determined glow in the man's eyes. His salt and pepper hair was short and trimmed is a fashion that was slicked back and his mustache was long and neatly shaped. 

Squall slowly rose to his feet. "Who are you?" he said softly, trying to conceal the burning pain he felt in his chest. The night hiked up his blade vertically then brought it down in a chopping fashion then bowed aristocratically. "I am Sir Alfred Gustont. More affectionately referred to by my comrades as The Knight." Squall grimaced as thoughts of Seifer swam through his head. "And you are Squall Lionheart I presume." The Knight continued, ignoring Squall's expression. "Now that formalities are dispensed, let us fight with honor. I have heard much about you Lionheart and I now wish to test your skills. EN GARDE!"

****

The cloaked man stared at Rinoa in mild amusement. "So you are the great sorceress everyone's been talking about" He hissed with an obsessive tint in his voice. Rinoa grimaced at his tone of voice. This man was clearly insane or on the borderlines of it. "I am." She replied confidently. She stood tall against this menace. No matter the cost, she would not let her bleak vision of the future come to pass. 

The man in the cloak merely shrugged and chuckled a bit. "Who would have thought the greatest sorceress of legend would turn out to be such a puny little girl. I was expecting someone more along the lines of… Adel perhaps? I know already that you pose no threat to me whatsoever." Rinoa's face contorted in anger at the insult. "But enough with that. I am Rhazenek, honored sorcerer of his excellency, the Emperor. I have waited my whole life to face you. I must say I am a bit disappointed but no matter. It is his excellency's will that I do away with you." With that, the sorcerer flung out his hand and fired a huge energy blast towards Rinoa. Without thinking, she immediately cast a barrier shield to protect herself against the attack. With a wave of her hand she fired a huge gust of wind his way. Rouzenak thrust both hands forward and dissipated it. "No bad." He replied with a smirk forming on his lips. You're better then I thought you would be. However your still very weak!" Lifting his arms, he summoned for multiple ICE3 daggers and hurled them towards Rinoa. She just barely had the strength to repel the all. _'What kind of power does this man have?'_ the thought to herself. _'Even Utimecia couldn't summon so much magical energy at once without feeling slightly exhausted from the effort.' _"What are you?" she spoke at last. The sorcerer merely shrugged and summoned for another huge amount of energy. This time it was a huge meteor sized ball of lava looking fire. He hurled it towards Rinoa while at the same time replying to her question. "I am your worst nightmare." With that, the ball of fire flew from his hands towards her. Rinoa was knocked off of her feet as she tried to repel this new blast. She could barely move as she lay there on the ground. "It's really quite a pity." The sorcerer said as he walked up to her. "If your wondering what that was, it was an inferno blast. Oh don't feel bad, Ultimecia could never make anything as powerful as that. You see she was a low, level sorceress compared to me. She was a lackey, a push over, a weakling." Rinoa's eyes widened in shock at this revelation causing the evil sorcerer to laugh even more. "Oh don't look so surprised. That attack I just preformed was merely child's play. I assure you my main attacks are much more devastating then that. Allow me to demonstrate." He then raised his hands up and it seemed as if the world began to shake as he gathered energy from around it. Rinoa began to tremble involuntarily and tried to back away. He seemed to pay her no heed as he continued to gather energy and his hands slowly became engulfed in multi colored flames of power. 

****

From the distance, Zeilak watched his royal acolytes massacre the members of seed one by one. He suppressed a laugh as he saw Squall Lionheart fall back from the force of his Knight's sword thrusts. Everything was coming into place now. He wished that his second in command were with him so that he could gloat over his success but he was fully aware that instead, his loyal servant was fighting valiantly against the sorceress Rinoa. He wasn't concerned. He had trained his minions well. There was no way they would lose to these pathetic seeds or to anyone for that matter. He looked up into the sky and saw that a huge thunderstorm had erupted. This was the best setting for him he surmised as he viewed the landscape of death and destruction before his eyes. The Galbadian military was now on the rise trying to repel his forces. 

__

'Now is the time.' He thought to himself. "MINONS!" He screamed. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, hundreds of Galbadian soldiers rushed forth from the shadows and began killing the soldiers who were at the parade. These Galbadian soldiers wore red and black clothing instead of the traditional blue and black that the parade troops were wearing. The Emperor smiled evilly as he witnessed the horrible massacre his troops had on the remaining Galbadian troopers. They ruthlessly killed them in honor of his name. Of course he had his hand in making them feel that way but that was unimportant to him. They had carried out his wishes and that was all he cared about. He then laughed in amusement as his 'true' soldiers came on the scene. These new soldiers were not men but demons that wore black armor and had scaly green skin. Their faces, although covered with armored masks, were reptilian in shape and they had feline red eyes. 

Finally, the Emperor moved from his position of viewing the carnage and moved over to where a microphone was set up. It was connected to outside channels so that the world could witness the even of upcoming peace made by Galbadia and Balamb. He moved over to the microphone and began to speak. "ATTENTION CITIZENS OF GALBADIA, CITIZENS OF THE WORLD! YOU THINK YOU HAVE ATTAINED PEACE? YOU THINK THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE FREEDOM THAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS FOUGHT FOR? THINK AGAIN! THIS IS REALITY! THIS IS YOUR FATE. YOUR FIGURES OF PEACE ARE DEAD! ALL WHO OPPOSE ME SHALL MEET THE SAME FATE. LOOK NOW TO YOUR 'PROTECTORS! THE ONES YOU CALL SEED, THEY TOO ARE OUTMATCHED BY MY ARMIES! THIS IS A DECLARATION OF WAR! THIS IS THE FUTURE! I SHALL RULE SUPREME! WE NOW ENTER A NEW ERA! MY ERA! YOU SHALL ONLY KNOW PEACE WHEN I SAY SO! NOW WATCH AS YOUR ONLY HOPE IS STRIPPED FROM YOU. WATCH AS I DESTROY YOUR GUARDIAN'S THE SEEDS AND KNOW THAT FROM THIS POINT ON, ONLY AGONIZING TERROR SHALL AWAIT ALL OF YOU! WATCH NOW, AS YOUR WILDEST FANTASIES BECOME REALITY!" The Emperor then broke off into maniacal laughter and walked away into another corridor with his cape flowing freely in the air behind his back. 

****

Squall rammed into the pavement painfully. He wanted to scream out and avenge Cid and Caraway. He wanted to protect his friends. He wanted to wipe that smug grin off of Zeilak's face and most of all, he wanted to save Rinoa from that evil sorcerer. However he could do none of this. His endurance had left him almost as fast as his blood was now oozing from his open wound. Everything was hazy for him. His once rich cloak was now gone. His once magnificent suit, was now torn and ripped and covered in dirt, stains and blood. His hair was a mess and his face was covered in blood and bruises. Squall was now on one knee as he regarded the foe before him. However the man did not show pleasure for his apparent victory. "This is not right." The Knight muttered to himself as he held his blade, outstretched, towards Squall's face. "This is too easy and you are still weakened from your battle with the sorcerer. This is not the fight I had dreamed of all my life." And with that, The Knight withdrew his gunblade and sheathed it back into his scabbard then walked away leaving Squall slouched over in pain. Then everything went black and Squall found himself tumbling into darkness. 

****

Rinoa closed her eyes as she noticed the sorcerer was reaching the climax of his spell. His hands were now wide apart. His fingers were radiating with so much energy Rinoa couldn't even look in his direction directly. The amount of energy he was creating was intense but surprisingly small, as if tones of atoms were compressed in an incredibly small area. Yet by no means was this attack anything less than outrageous. Rinoa knew she would not survive this no matter how much energy she produced. 

Suddenly, the sorcerer was interrupted from his spell as a huge ice lance rammed into his shoulder. He screamed out in insane rage as he broke his spell and yanked the hated shard of ice from his body. He stared daggers at his assailant. "YOU!" He said venomously towards the figure standing before him. Hate seemed to be dripping from every expression he made. But before Rinoa could do anything she was shocked to realize that she was laying directly behind the person now. 

To her utter surprise it was none other than Edea. Edea was the one who had rescued her. Little Jeffry was sitting next two here sleeping through it all. Edea must have cast a sleep spell on him. She then noticed that all the other seeds, as if one by one, began materializing next to her. Zell was sprawled on his back with multiple wounds and blood seemed to completely cover his face. Irvin was in slightly better shape but he too was in terrible pain. There was a bullet whole through his shoulder that bled profusely and another slightly above his kneecap. Selphie was unconscious and had many terrible bruises all over her face and body. Then there was Quistis. She was terribly injured with laceration marks along her neck, arms and legs and there was a terrible, blood soaked, wound on her head from when she was slammed against the wall. Finally, Rinoa's eyes rested on Squall. He was completely unconscious and seemed to be in pain. His face was sweating profusely and she noticed that it was turning slightly blue. Rinoa cried out as she noticed all the blood that had covered Squalls limp body. _'He can't be dead'_ Her mind screamed. _'He just can't be.'_ As she ran over to his limp form she noticed that Edea's resolve was breaking. 

"R-Rinoa…" She said, exhaustion evident in her voice. "Edea, thank goodness! We have to get out of here now!" Rinoa screamed. 

"N-no…" Edea continued. "That sorcerer is far stronger then me. He won't let us escape. Rinoa I don't have the strength to protect us and transport everyone out of here. Can you do it?" 

Rinoa was quiet for a bit, then slowly muttered. "I don't know." 

Edea became angry at this. "Rinoa we don't have time for that! Listen to me! You have to get them out of here! I don't have the power to do it myself. Those powers were passed over to you!" 

Rinoa nodded slowly but then her head shot up swiftly. "What do you mean 'them'? Aren't you coming with us?" At this, Edea only gave Rinoa a slight smile filled with sadness. "Rinoa I have to hold them off so that you all may get to safety." 

"NO!" Rinoa screamed. "I won't let you sacrifice yourself! We all have to make it out of here!"

"Rinoa I told you already! I can't hold them off much longer and neither of us are capable of defeating that evil sorcerer. Listen Rinoa please… You've got to do this. Otherwise Squall and everyone else will die. This time it's not just the seeds at stake, it's the whole world. Rinoa when you were given the powers of a sorceress you were also given the responsibilities of one. You must carry out your duty Rinoa! Just like I am. Rinoa… for the sake of every man woman and child on this world… Please do as I say."

Rinoa was now in tears. She couldn't believe what Edea was asking of her. Rinoa became angry at this. "Remember what you told me Edea! You told me you would never leave me! You told me that no matter what happened you would help me through this!… Please Edea… Please don't leave me alone now…" Rinoa could no longer hold back her streaming tears. This was all too much for her. She felt as if she would have a nervous breakdown any moment. 

Edea only looked at Rinoa with sympathy and sadness. "Rinoa… I know what I told you and at the time I meant it with all of my heart. But now things have changed Rinoa. This is no time to be selfish. You must act to save all. Rinoa don't be selfish now. Its up to you to change destiny…" 

Rinoa was about to make another rebuke when she suddenly heard a new voice. 

**__**

"You truly are more pathetic then I once gave you credit for. Take the woman's advice and leave!"

"No! I won't leave! I won't do it Ultimecia! It's awful!"

**__**

"You must! Or all will become lost!"

"NO! I WON'T, I TELL YOU! NEVER!"

**__**

"Foolish spoiled child! Grow up and face reality!"

"I will never listen to You, Ultimecia!"

Just then, Edea stumbled to her knees as the sorcerer fired a huge blast of energy at her. Edea's shield had dropped and they were once again at the Emperor's mercy. Edea lifted her head painstakingly. "R-Rinoa… please…"

Images of The horrible visions flashed through Rinoa's mind over and over again. People dying Towns destroyed. Endless suffering. 

**__**

"If you don't act now, all of this will come to pass Rinoa!"

"No" Rinoa mumbled silently.

"Please… Rinoa…" Edea whispered, now totally spent of all energy.

"ple…ase…don't let Jeffry… die…"

Rinoa screamed in agony as she called upon the power to transport them out of there. She looked at Jeffry's face and saw that, through it all, he was still asleep. He had no idea of what was going to happen. 

**__**

"There is no other choice" Ultimecia's voice reminded Rinoa. 

The sorcerer saw what Rinoa was trying to do and immediately attack. However, Edea countered this by throwing herself in the way of his attack. "NOW RINOA!" She screamed as she took in the full brunt of the energy blast. 

Silently, Edea made her last request. "Please take good care of Jeffry for me." 

Tears streamed down Rinoa's face as she called upon the full force of her magic and before anyone could blink they were gone. 

Whew! That was a "HUGE" chapter! Well what do you think? I know its pretty intense (at least I hope so) and I know a lot of people are going to be mad at me for killing off Cid and Caraway but please just bear with me! I mean this is a fanfic but I'm trying to make this a very serious and action packed one. Well as always 'please' send any comments, Critiques, and or flames to me at [cordis_xaltun@altavista.com][2]

   [1]: mailto:f&*
   [2]: mailto:cordis_xaltun@altavista.com



	6. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 5)

The stage has been set, the seeds have been defeated and the new era has begun. Squall and his companions now find themselves locked in a conflict beyond their wildest fantasies. 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, places, or things from final fantasy 8. They are the rightful property of Square soft. This fanfic is simply for fun. No profit is made from it. 

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 5:

THE DECLARATION OF WAR

"Bartender!"

The bartender had been busy all day. As was common this time of the week, the bar was very crowded. Many people frequented his bar. Some were lawyers, others were construction workers, there were even plenty of veteran Galbadian and Dollet soldiers. But mostly, his bar was made up of vagabonds that had given up on life and turned their backs to society. Thus with the extensive commotion all around him, it was quite plausible that he couldn't hear that someone was calling his name amongst all the ruckus. However, in all actuality, he did hear his name being called. To his misfortune, this particular character had been calling his name for the past five minutes. The bartender pointedly chose to ignore him and continue about his business. Unfortunately, this man would not be deterred, and whether he believed the bartender couldn't hear him above all the commotion or not, as he walked past, the man finally grabbed him by the collar so that he would have to face him. 

The bartender didn't seem at all disturbed by this. If anything, he seemed annoyed at the interruption. "Can I help you with something?" He asked in an irritated tone of voice. 

The man's eyes blazed with an unbridled fury, which he barely contained. "I've been calling you for five minutes straight." He said, pronouncing each word slowly and meticulously. "Now, I want another drink on the double. And make it a spicy one this time. I'm sick of this crap you call liquor." 

The bartender let out a long wended sigh that had the expression 'this is going to be a long day' written all over his face. "I'm sorry buddy all I can give you is a coffee and maybe tea if you like. The liquor is off limits to you now. That was your last drink." 

The man nearly pounced on the bartender as he bared his teeth seething with rage. "What did you say? I am paying good money for you to keep the shots coming. Now you do as I say!" Each of his words came slow as he struggled with the overwhelming anger pent up inside of him.

The bartender simply shrugged and broke away from his hold. "Look buddy, I'm only gonna tell you this one more time. The answer's no. 'N' 'O'. It's policy. I can't let you have over two drinks when you have a ward with you."

The man blinked for a minute then glared back at the bartender. "What ward? I don't have any ward. I'm here by myself."

The bartender just rolled his eyes as if he heard that line a million times before. "Look pal, your name is Almasy right? That young girl over there told me all about you. Policy stays the same. You can't have over two drinks when in the company of a child."

The man who was Seifer Almasy grew flustered and angry at this. "Oh come on! You don't actually buy into this do you? I don't even know that girl! Let me tell you something. That chick has been following me around for the past several days and I haven't been able to lose her since. She's stalking me and stuff. If anything, you should be kicking her out!" 

Just then the girl in question came up alongside Seifer and sat down in the seat next to him. "You silly, your always saying stupid stuff like that." Dawn said, beamed with a smile on her face. "Now why don't you stop lying to the nice bartender man and let's just leave. Besides, this place smells really bad and you shouldn't be drinking that stuff."

Seifer's eyes flared with anger. He had had enough of this girl's childish antics. He was about to draw the line just then and cause a scene, when suddenly Dawn gave him a cold stare and squeezed his hand ever so slightly letting him know that if he caused a scene he would draw in a lot of unwelcome attention. Attention that someone in 'his' position didn't need. Seifer sneered in anger and disgust, then turned around and stormed out of the door. Dawn simply smiled then followed after him.

Five feet out the door, Seifer spun around to face her. He had an angry look on his face. "Ok look, Just who the hell do you think you are?" He wore a look that could shoot daggers and he would have brandished his gunblade had he stilled owned it. 

Dawn simply shrugged off his question but he could see that there was something in those bright blue eyes of hers that she was hiding. "You will tell me who you are right now!" 

"Or you'll do what?" Dawn fired back angrily. "What will you do? Fight me? Ha! You don't even have a gunblade anymore! You're pathetic and harmless. A sorry excuse for the man you once used to be!"

"Shut up! You know nothing about me, Understood? NOTHING! Now leave me alone!" Seifer turned around and stormed down the ally way. 

However Dawn was not done yet. She roughly grabbed his arm and spun him back around to face her. "Look at yourself Seifer! Can't you see what's happening to you? You, who were once one of the most confident men on earth, are now reduced to this shallow pathetic worm who only finds solace in his next glass of liquor. You are disgusting! You are not the Seifer Almasy everyone knew you as!"

Seifer was becoming extremely angry at being constantly reminded of how much he had changed and wouldn't sit idly and take it anymore. He roughly yanked his arm away from her grasp then pulled her forward so that she could look into his eyes. "Now you listen to me 'little girl'! You don't know anything about me! I don't want to return to the man I used to be! You got that? That man is long dead! Do yourself and everyone else a favor and leave it that way alright?"

"Why? Why don't you want to reclaim your former confidence? Why not correct the errors of the past and strive for the future? Why do you want to remain content with simply spending the rest of your life, living in anguish and despair?"

Seifer regarded her for a moment then began to laugh. He laughed a good hearty laugh that almost sounded maniacal to Dawn's ears. "Why, you ask?" He said after sufficiently regaining control of his composure. "Because I fear myself, ok! I fear ill let my pride take over and ill be manipulated! Do you know what that's like 'little girl', to be manipulated? It's pretty interesting actually. You see, it's set up so that you can only perceive things one way, the manipulators way. Everything you do, you fully believe is right until you know the truth. When the dirty deed is done and the blood is stained on your hands, that's when you wake up and smell the beans. That's when you realize 'Hey, I've just been manipulated. I've just been played and used.' Do you know what it's like to wake up from a terrible dream where you have massacred hundreds of innocents? You become appalled by your own actions but you are comforted because you feel so good, you feel so complete, that it must be a dream. Only then, do you wake up and notice that it wasn't a dream at all! 'This' is my nightmare 'little girl'! 'This' is my reality every waking day of my life! I had everything I wanted, so I thought. I had attained knighthood, I had attained an army, I had been given everything I ever wanted in life; a place, a purpose, a reason to keep living the way I was. Do you know what it feels like to have all that come crashing down on you? To finally understand that that feeling of comfort and contentment you just felt was only an illusion? A fabricated fantasy constructed just so you could be used for evil purposes?" 

Seifer was becoming more and more adamant with each word he spoke until, finally, he was screaming in an angry fit. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO FINALLY REALIZE THAT YOU'R PARENTS WERE RIGHT TO ABANDON YOU? TO KNOW THAT YOU REALLY ARE WORTHLESS AND THAT YOU WILL NEVER AMOUNT TO ANYTHING? EVER! TO REALIZE THAT ALL YOU DO IS CAUSE GRIEF AND PAIN FOR EVERYONE AROUND YOU SO THAT LIFE WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU JUST DISAPPEARED?" 

Seifer finally broke down. He fell to his knees, overcome by all the pent up emotions that had plagued him in life. He didn't care if the girl saw the fresh tears in his eyes now. He didn't care if his attire was dirty and smelly. He didn't care if the old sweater and sweatpants he was wearing were torn, dirty, and smelly. He didn't care if the blanket around his shoulders was old and reeked of liquor. He no longer cared about pride. For he knew now that he had none. He had nothing. And everyday he convinced himself that it was better this way. 

Dawn looked at him with great pity and sorrow. She wanted to reach out to him and tell him otherwise. She wanted to comfort him somehow but she knew that this was a very fragile emotional breakdown he had just gone through, and the wrong action could lead to detrimental effects. So instead, she just stood back and let him recover in his own good time. Finally, Seifer regained control of himself. And when she looked into his eyes, she simply wanted to weep for this lost soul. His eyes were so lost, yet at the same time, they seemed as if they were, only now, beginning to see the true light. Seifer turned his head away and stood abruptly. He turned around and began walking away. 

"Wait!" Dawn blurted out, not really knowing what else to say. 

"Please, leave me alone now." Was Seifer's only quiet reply before disappearing into the distance. 

****

Screaming filled his ears. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't tell were he was but he could hear people screaming all around him. Screams of victory mixed in with screams of fear and anguish. "Where am I?" He called out into the distance. His only answer was the increasing sounds of anguish. People began to scream even louder, so loud that he felt his ears would burst at any moment. Then he let out his own wail; a wail of confusion and fear. Then suddenly everything was quiet. His vision slowly began to return to him. Yet everything was far too quiet. He looked around frantically as his vision came back to him. He immediately leapt to the side as the first thing he saw was the sharp tip of a gunblade heading towards his face. He looked to his opponent only to realize that it was none other then his long time rival, Seifer Almasy. To his amazement, he looked down to notice that he too was holding a gunblade. He swung at Seifer viciously but just as the sword was about to strike his body, his adversary vanished. The air then grew cold and he looked up into the sky to see the face of Ultimecia laughing down at him. She opened her huge hands to grab him and he screamed out in helplessness. 

****

Squall's eyes opened wide as he realized that he was laying in Balamb Garden's medical facility. He scanned his surroundings and surveyed all the many tubes coming to and from his arms. He tried to get up out of the bed then winked in pain and fell back down. He turned his eyes to the source of the pain and noticed that his chest was wrapped and bandaged up. Slowly, his memories began to return to him. He closed his eyes in sorrow and frustration as tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Squall?" 

Squall turned his head towards the voice immediately. Suddenly a wave of emotions engulfed him. He closed his eyes to hold back the tears. The thought of never being able to see Cid or Caraway played over and over again on his conscience. He had failed them, he had failed Garden and worst of all, he had failed Rinoa. The thought was too much for Squall to bear. "Rinoa… I- I'm so sorry. I could do nothing. It's all my fault. I failed. I-"

Rinoa didn't want to hear anymore of what Squall had to say. The memories hurt too much and the thought of Squall taking responsibility for it was too overwhelming for her. She walked over to his bed and wrapped him in her arms as he sobbed. "shhhhh, don't say anything Squall, please? It's going to be all right. One way or another, we'll get through this. We will."

Squall relaxed a little and let Rinoa's words comfort him. _'No matter what happens,'_ he thought to himself. _'Everything will be all right. All of us will be just fine… all of us…'_ Just then Squall's mind reeled back to that fateful duel in which the seeds lost. He was comforted to know that Rinoa was ok but he had no idea what became of everyone else. He wanted to believe Rinoa's words that everything would be ok in the end but there was always a struggle for peace. Someone had to 'make' it ok. He felt responsible for the failure of defeating Zeilak. _'Never again.'_ Squall thought to himself with new found determination. If some one had to make things ok again, he would be that somebody. He would bring the peace in which Cid died for. He would ensure that this threat was defeated once and for all. 

To Rinoa's utter shock, Squall broke away from her grasp then violently yanked out the blood transfusion cords. "Squall! What are you doing!" Rinoa shrieked in surprise. 

Squall simply started at her for a moment as he continued ripping tubes from out of his arms. "Rinoa… please tell me. How long have I been out?" 

Rinoa was shocked at how sudden Squall's mood change was but she answered his question accordingly. "Squall you've been out for three days. I was able to get us to Balamb Garden. After the parade everything started going haywire all over the world and Xu was forced to give the order to move Balamb Garden into hiding. It was awful, you were bleeding so bad when we got here and Dr. kadowaki was saying all kinds of horrible things like you wouldn't make it through the first night. It was terrible, the whole medical team had to use so many Curaga and Full life spells on you and you needed all sorts of blood transfusions."

Before Rinoa could finish, Squall raised up his good arm and brought his hand to her lips to quiet her. "I know Rinoa. I'm sorry to worry you about that. But please tell me. How are the others? How many did we lose?" Squall held his breath in fearful anticipation. He dreaded her answer but he just had to know. Better to hear it now and get it over with then to prolong his anguish. 

Rinoa lowered her head and tears began to seep from hey eyes. A minute passed before she finally gathered her emotions enough to tell him. Squall… Edea is dead. Sh- she sacrificed herself at the last moment. I didn't want to leave her but she told me to Use my magic to get us all to safety. She wouldn't let me stay with her. She-" Rinoa couldn't finish as she broke off into a sob. 

Squall closed his eyes tight, too overcome with emotion to think clearly. _'So I failed yet again.' _He thought to himself. _'I let yet another person I love die.' _As he began to fall further into depression another voice began to echo in his mind telling him he couldn't dwell in anguish. He had to move on and avenge the death of his foster parents. He didn't want to listen but the voice was adamant until finally he gave in and decided that he had to be strong for everyone, now more then ever. Slowly he collected himself and trained his eyes on Rinoa once more. "What about the others? How many of us made it back?" 

Rinoa took a while to recover her own troubled thoughts before answering. "Quistis and Zell are still out cold. They had taken the worst of it. Irvin was injured pretty bad but he'll be fine. Selphie's up and around. She's visiting him in the other infirmary right now."

Squall nodded his head crisply. "That doesn't sound like such a bad idea right about now. Let's go join her."

"No Squall you can't! What about your injuries? You were hurt so bad! I don't want you to laps into another fever." She looked down and could feel the tears threatening to burst forth once more. She had thought she had run out of tears, ever since that incident with Edea but she was wrong. Talking with Squall again and retelling the events of the past few days had reawakened many horrible memories and she just couldn't take it anymore. "I don't want to lose you Squall… Especially not now…" 

Squall looked at Rinoa with sympathy and love in his eyes. "You won't Rinoa. You'll never lose me. I'll always be by your side. Forever." 

The young couple just stood there, lost in each other's eyes. The love they shared was clearly evident as they gazed at one another. _'This may be the only chance I get.' _Rinoa thought to herself as she continued to stare at Squall with love in her heart. _'I may not get another chance. I have to tell him now.' _"Squall?" 

Squall was still gazing off in her eyes as if lost in a trance and only vaguely replied. "Yes?"

Rinoa's hands began to tremble. "Squall, I know I should have told you this before, but I just kept holding it off thinking the best time would be after the ceremony. Squall… I'm pregnant." 

Squall's eyes opened wide. 'Pregnant! He could hardly believe it. They had both wanted a child and they were more then ready for the challenge. However that was then and now the situation was drastically different. Squall was overjoyed that he would be a father but at the same time he was devastated that such a wonderful thing would happen at a time like this. Squall smiled and kissed Rinoa passionately. Rinoa wrapped her arms around her husband, carefully avoiding his injury. 

After a while Squall broke away then looked at Rinoa with determination in his eyes. "Rinoa, our child won't grow up in a terrible time like this. I swear to you that I will make things right. I won't let Zeilak win. I won't let him destroy our child's future." 

Rinoa looked up at her husband with equal intensity and love. "You won't be alone Squall. We will do this together. All of us are behind you."

Squall nodded slightly. A grin still played on his lips as the idea of being a father kept swirling in his mind. 

The trip to the Infirmary was uneventful as neither Squall nor Rinoa could sort through their jumbled emotions. Squall was extremely happy about being a father but at the same time, he was devastated at the loss of his foster parents. He couldn't push away the idea that somehow he was responsible for their deaths. Rinoa was having similar problems. She was excited about being pregnant however her sorceress powers were becoming more then she could bear and they frightened her, not to mention that she also had to deal with the tragic death of her father. On top of that, the one person who might have been able to help her with her growing powers, had died to save her life. 

Thus, neither of them said anything to the other as they walked down the halls to check on their friends. Much to their dismay, when they entered the room, the scene was less then encouraging. Zell lay on one side of the room with a respirator diligently pumping air into his lungs. His face was all bandaged up and there were many tubes jutting out from his arms. Quistis was comatose in a bed next to him. Although she didn't have a respirator, she was also similarly bandaged. Her head was completely wrapped up. She was also bandaged around her neck, arms, and legs where she had been burned by coils. Squall had to forcefully turn his gaze away from his companions. The very sight of them made his blood boil for revenge. He couldn't bear the sight of his friends in such a horrible condition. 

On the other side of the room, Irvin lay on a bed staring mutely up at the ceiling. Selphie was sitting in the corner not too far away. Her torso was bandaged up but otherwise she didn't look like she was that injured. To Squall's surprise, she was comforting a hysterical Sarah who was crying in her arms. 

Squall slowly made his way over to Irvin. The young man made no response to his presence until Squall was standing right next to him. "How are you holding up over there Irvin?" 

Irvin's eyes suddenly widened in surprised shock at Squall's voice. "Squall! Your awake!"

Selphie and Sarah immediately looked up upon hearing this. They had all thought Squall was still comatose in the other infirmary. Irvin just couldn't believe his eyes. Just yesterday, the young seed General was barely clinging to life and now he was not only awake but up and about and selflessly asking how 'they' were doing. Selphie and Sarah immediately ran to where Squall and Irvin were, laughing and crying with tears of joy. Sarah put on a brave front but she was still burdened by Zell's condition. Selphie gave him a big hug. "Welcome back Squall!" Squall winked in pain as she slightly brushed his injury with her hand. However, he put on a brave smile none the less. "I'm fine Selphie, but how about the rest of you? How are you all holding up?" 

Irvin had a morbid look on his face. "We've been better…" He said dejectedly.

Much to Squall's surprise, Selphie had a similar expression on her face. "Yeah, they creamed us out there and we couldn't do nothing about it." 

Rinoa walked over the where Selphie was standing and put her hand on the girls shoulder. "Selphie there was nothing any of us could have done." Irvin became furious at this remark! "SHIT MAN! We were totally unprepared! How the hell could we let ourselves get beat like that? We're seeds for crying out loud! We should have been ready for anything! And we lost like amateurs! I mean we totally [f#@&*ed][1] up!" 

Squall flinched slightly. He knew all too well about their failure. It was his fault. He was responsible. This is what Squall kept telling himself and Irvin's outburst did nothing to sooth that agonizing belief. Rinoa saw the hurt expression in her husband's face and immediately tried to add her support. They all needed encouragement at this time or else they would fall into a fit of depression. Rinoa was sure of this. She herself had suffered such ailments back in her time serving with the forest owls.

"Stop that Irvin! You all did the best you could!" 

"Oh yeah? I doubt that 'they' would agree with us on that one!" Irvin protested, shoving his index finger in the direction of Quistis and Zell. "Hell we were pathetic out there! We couldn't do a damn thing. I literally had to 'watch' as Selphie was nearly beaten to 'death' in front of my very eyes! Don't you even dare say we did our best! If Selphie would have died… be- because of me and my damn cowardice! I – I couldn't even -…" Irvin couldn't finish as he was too overcome with emotion. The thought of what might have happened had Edea not acted selflessly for them troubled Irvin beyond belief. He couldn't control his emotions anymore and shut his eyes tightly as tears seeped from them. Selphie felt a huge lump in her heart and sat next to him, trying to comfort him the best she could.

"Irvin…" She said quietly. "There was nothing you could have done. It wasn't cowardice. That sniper would have killed you if you broke cover!"

"THEN LET ME DIE DAMNIT!" Irvin screamed, surprising everyone in the room. "At least then, I would have known that I had at least 'tried' to save them!" He continued to look towards Quistis and Zell as he spoke. Sarah silently cringed every time Irvin made reference to his fallen comrades. _'Please don't say it.'_ She prayed silently as she listened to Irvin's ranting with growing apprehension. 

Irvin continued raving relentlessly. " I should have died! I should have spilled more blood for my friends! At least then I would have felt like I'd done more then I had! At least then –" 

"Irvin stop it!" Squall commanded silently. He could take the accusations. He could take the ridicule of his comrades cause he felt he deserved every single drop of it and more. But he saw what it was doing to Sarah and desperately wanted his friend to stop before he said something he would regret. 

"Or what? Huh, leader man? What about you? Don't you understand what I'm feeling? Don't you feel the least bit responsible for what has happened to your comrades? YOUR FRIENDS? ARE YOU THAT HEARTLESS? ARE YOU THAT COLD THAT YOU CAN'T REALIZE THAT YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WERE DYING OUT THERE? ARE YOU THAT HEARTLESS THAT YOU DON'T CARE THAT THERES A VERY GOOD CHANCE ZELL AND QUISTIS MAY DIE THIS VERY DAY LYING IN THOSE BEDS OVER THERE?"

"JUST STOP IT!!!!!!" Sarah screamed crying hysterically. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! PLEASE JUST STOP IT!!!" 

Before anyone could react, Sarah ran out of the room crying her heart out. Selphie shot Irvin a reproachful glance then ran after Sarah. 

Irvin looked shocked, finally realizing what he had just been saying. He slowly lowered his head in shame. Rinoa glanced at Squall and Irvin, one after the other then finally decided that this was something they needed to work out by themselves. So she quietly left them alone to follow Selphie and Sarah.

A few minutes of silence passed between the two men as they sat alone in the infirmary. Irvin's eyes were shut tight and his firsts were clenched. Squall barely caught sight of this as he stared off into space. He was seated next to Irvin. Finally Irvin worked up the courage to speak. "Look, man, I didn't mean what I said earlier. I guess the pressure's just getting to me or something. I just wish there was some way we could have prevented this, ya know?"

Squall shot Irvin an irritated glance. "Sarah is the one you should be apologizing to. I, on the other hand, fully deserve your contempt."

"Come on Squall, don't do this man! I said I didn't mean it! I was just angry and looking for a target to vent my frustrations at." Irvin's voice was becoming frantic now. He didn't want Squall to take the blame for what had happened. He knew that it wasn't Squall's fault. It wasn't anyone's fault but he refused to accept that last little bit of information. Like Squall, he also blamed himself for what had happened. 

However, Squall was unruffled by Irvin's protest. "You spoke with your heart Irvin, that's as truthful as it gets."

Anger suddenly flared in Irvin's eyes. "Look Squall, your the best leader I've ever had the pleasure of serving under. If anyone screwed up, it was me! Thats why I'm feeling so bad! I screwed up!"

Squall rolled his eyes in irritation at the way the conversation was going. Self-ridicule was something Squall hated to converse about. "Regardless, this is getting us no where. Irvin all I can tell you is that I'm sorry. But mark my words, I'll get revenge on those bastards! For all of us!" 

"I'm with you on that one Squall." Irvin agreed, nodding his head. "It's gonna be payback all the way next time..." Irvin glanced at his comatose companions and his resolve crumbled slightly at the sight of them. "But still… we screwed up pretty bad huh?"

Squall trained his eyes in the same direction as his seed companion. After a moment, he nodded painstakingly. "… Yeah, we did."

****

After searching high and low through the corridors on Balamb Garden, Selphie finally found Sarah crying pitifully on Selphie's bed in the room they used to share three years ago. Selphie slowly walked over to her friend and sat at the foot of the bed. 

"Sarah? Do you want to talk about it?" Slephie asked quietly.

At the sound of her best friend's voice, Sarah threw her arms around her and cried into her shoulder. Selphie silently stroked her friend's hair as she continued to cry. After a few moments, Sarah cautiously broke away from their embrace. "Selphie, I'm so sorry, I – I'm-"

"Shhhh there there Sarah. I understand how you're feeling. Irvin just lost control for a moment there. It was wrong, I know, but I guess everyone's stressed out given the circumstances."

"I just hate is Selphie! I just hate it all! I mean I don't know if Zell is going to make it through, A-and I'm frightened. I'm scared for his life and I'm scared for our child! Selphie I don't think I can handle this without Zell… I love him so much, the thought of losing him…" Sarah couldn't finish, as another fit of sobbing seized her.

"Sarah I know. But don't you worry, everything's gonna be fine. Just you wait and see. Zell's a fighter. He'll make it through."

"B-but everyone, even Irvin and Doctor Kadowaki, they're all skeptical of his recovery."

"Kadowaki is just stressed out Sarah. She's at a breaking point right now and she's just finding ways to vent, and the same with Irvin. Everyone's just really stressed out now Sarah. But listen to me, there is something you can do for Zell. Something that speaks louder then words and actions combined. You can believe in him Sar, Believe in his ability to survive. His ability to overcome this obstacle. That's what he needs right now Sarah. Your loving care and support."

Sarah just stared at Selphie mutely for a moment. "Your right Sephy. I've been so cynical during this whole ordeal when the best thing I should be doing is supporting him. I love Zell and yet I've already given up on him. I should be ashamed of myself."

"No Sarah, don't be ashamed. Your scared just like we all are. We all care for Quistis and Zell very deeply and we are all hoping for their full recovery. We just have to have confidence in them. It's easy to overlook something like that when we are so stressed out like this."

Sarah stared at Selphie in a way that Selphie thought her friend had just seen a ghost or something. "Selphie… you've really changed over the past three years. At first I was surprised when I heard that you, of all people, were an instructor yet now I find it easier to accept. You really have a knack with helping people through their problems. Thank you. I knew there was a reason why you're my best friend on earth."

Selphie giggled lightly. "Oh shut up you. Us friends have to stick together you know?" 

Sarah was going to say something more, however, just then the door slid open and Rinoa stepped in. "I'm sorry am I interrupting anything?" Rinoa asked hesitantly. 

Selphie and Sarah just giggled delightedly confusing Rinoa even more. At the expression on Rinoa's face, the two former roommates laughed even more. Soon, Rinoa began to join in as she found the sight of the two laughing girls to be quite amusing. _'Bless you selphie. Whatever you told Sarah, must have worked wonders to get the girl to laugh like this.' _Rinoa thought to herself as she continued to laugh outwardly. 

Slowly the laughter died down to short, controlled giggles. "So, feeling any better Sarah?" Rinoa asked after reigning in her last giggle. 

"A little bit." Came her short reply.

"Well a little is better then nothing right?" Selphie peeped in. "Here's an idea. Why don't we all head down to the cafeteria. I'm sure they have good food at this time. After all, its still 8:00am. Why don't we go down there and get some grub and at the same time we can each eat a hotdog to show our support for Zell's recovery right?" 

Sarah suppressed a giggle at this. She always found the sight of Zell eating hotdogs extremely amusing. And now that Selphie had brought it up again, ton's of fond memories came flooding into her mind. 

Rinoa and Selphie stared at her with warm smiles on their faces. Sarah simply laughed. For the second time since her return to Balamb Garden, Sarah gave out a genuine laugh of pleasure. It felt great to have such caring friends. It was good to be home. "Well what are you two waiting for?" Sarah asked with a grin on her face. "We better get going or they'll run out of hotdogs." With that they all laughed and started for the door. 

However as soon as they hit the halls, a loud voice came over the P.A. 

"ATTENTION, WOULD GARDEN GENERAL LIONHEART, MRS. LIONHEART AND SEED MEMBERS IRVIN KINNEAS, AND SELPHIE TIMULT, PLEASE COME TO THE BRIDGE IMMEDIATELY."

"What the heck?" Selphie said in surprise. "What the heck do they want to see us for?" 

"It must be important." Rinoa replied, already making her way towards the elevator. "We better get moving. Sarah you come with us too ok?"

Sarah nodded briskly and promptly followed the two girls up the steps to the elevators.

****

Once they entered the office formally used by Cid, Rinoa immediately noticed the grim faces all around the room and prepared herself for the bad news. Squall's demeanor was impassive as always yet due to his recent injuries, he was slightly slumped over. Irvin also seemed slightly paler then usual. He wore a frown on his face. Whatever was going on was definitely not a good thing. 

"Irvy? What's going on?" Selphie asked. 

Irvin glanced at her out of the corner of his eye yet said nothing.

"What's the matter with everyone all of a sudden?" Sarah asked, becoming more and more nervous by the second.

"You shouldn't have brought her here." Irvin muttered then resumed his silence. 

Rinoa had had enough. She was fed up with this stupid cat and mouse came the two men were playing with them. "Squall what is going on?" Rinoa demanded forcefully. 

Squall looked at his wife and saw she was wearing on of those _'you'll do what I say now or there will be hell to pay' _look's. 

Cringing inwardly, Squall prepared for the worst and answered his wife with clenched teeth. "The bastard is giving an announcement. Were assuming it's an official declaration of war."

Rinoa's continence suddenly shifted to an impassive visage of iron. "But that doesn't make any sense." She said. "He already made his public speech to the world."

"Yeah." Selphie piped in. "Didn't he, like, already prove his intentions the first time?"

Squall simply shrugged. "I guess he wants something a little bit more classy this time."

Irvin glared daggers at his commander. He knew Squall despised the man just as much as the rest of them but he couldn't swallow the way Squall had worded that last statement. It made that monster sound too humane. 

Squall shrugged off Irvin's look and glanced back at the Television sitting in the center of the office. "It's starting." He said as the picture showed the image of Emperor Zeilak walking up to the podium.

****

It was a particularly windy day for a speech, however that was just the kind of element Zeilak loved the most. Passing judgement on all while, at the same time, surrounded in an environment of chaos. Zeilak loved the ironic implications of it all. He basked in the misery and strife of others. He would teach them the meaning of the word. 

Zeilak hated repetition, however it seemed fitting to him to be able to officially televise his first strikes. He wanted to invoke even more fear and turmoil into the hearts and minds of his victims. He wanted to give them a war they would never forget and he felt that the start of his campaign should be commemorated with a monumental speech.

"Fellow citizens," He called out with heavy sarcasm seeping from his voice. "I come here today, not to reiterate the pledge that I have given you three days ago, but to show you a small amount of the momentous power I shall proceed to exert over you. You see, it seems that I have been too merciful with you and it has resulted in the escape of the seeds from my new citadel. I will have you know that I will not excuse such an action and certain parties can and will be punished for this heinous act. Behold, I bring before you now, the epitome of salvation and despair!" 

As if on cue, a huge metal plaque rose from the ground for all to see. The plaque rose up to 12 feet in height and was shaped in the symbol of an ogre's face with cross bones beneath it. Lying over that, former sorceress Edea hung loosely chained onto it. Each arm cuff was connected to either horn emblazoned on the ogre's background face. Her feet dangled freely. The mere sight of her made many people in the audience gasp out in mixed emotions of pity, fear, and revulsion. Edea's face was matted in bruises and blood. Her eyes had been slit, forever blinding her from the world. Parts of the bones in her arm jutted out from her skin and festered with maggots in the open air. Her tattered dress hung loose around her shoulders. Her legs were bruised and battered and a few of her toes had been severed from her feet. 

"This is how I handle treason! This is my way of dealing with those who oppose me! Before you now, lye's a woman who first came to you as a threat, possessed by the powers of Ultimecia. Then later, she revealed herself to be a patriot of goodness. To this, I offer my deepest contempt! I spit upon such justice that would harbor this woman to sway so far from my ideals. Her act of selflessness in saving her seeds has earned her a place in the mercy of my hands. As you can see, that was a fatal mistake. This is the price of freedom in my new order! There will be no insubordination!" 

With a flick of the wrist, Edea was immediately engulfed in flames. She screamed in agony as her flesh slowly melted from the intensity of the flames. Zeilak let loose a maniacal laugh as she continued to whither in agonizing pain. Then little by little, she slowly began to burn to ashes until eventually there was nothing left except for the hanging cuffs, now dangling loose, free of the force of Edea's weight. 

"I show you now that my word is law! Those who oppose me shall suffer. Now shudder as I allow you an extension of my power."

On cue to his words, The missile silo located at the Galbadian Airbase, immediately came to life and exposed thousands of warheads ready to be launched. 

"As you can see, I've been busy these past three days. I've noticed that there has been a shortage of missiles at the airbase so I've taken the liberty of adding my own." Zeilak spoke in a humored tone of voice.

"Those who survive my carnage shall live as my slaves! Bear witness all, as I show you the end of your world and the beginning of mine!"

The missiles launched fiercely from their restraints, each heading for a different location, all targeting every town, city, and state in the world. In the dreadful midst of silence only one sound could be heard in the distance; the sounds of laughter coming from the maniacal ruler who would usurp the remains of a dying existence and pose to claim all.

Well, yet another chapter is complete in my insanely long fic. I know you all must thing I'm nuts or something the way I'm portraying this threat now but I'm trying to make this a good story. Well I hope you all liked this chapter. I know it was kinda slow but I'll pick up the pace soon. As always thanks for reading and please review! 

-Cordis 

   [1]: mailto:f



	7. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 6)

The war has now begun. Can the Seeds hope to defeat the awful menace that stands to control the world? 

Disclaimer: all Final Fantasy 8 characters, places, and things belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of them. This is merely for the enjoyment of myself and others.

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 6

Decisions

The fire roared fiercely into the city of Timber. Houses crumbled under searing flames and plant and animal life withered under the intense, burning heat. Dead bodies lay strewn about, along the broken roads. Death had claimed the once beautiful town and made its home upon the decimated city that was now full of destruction and blood. 

However, amongst the havoc, one small force refused to give up just yet. With almost inhuman strength, Seifer Almasy pushed himself clear of a huge boulder that had been pinning him underground. As he finished lifting himself out of the wreckage, he slowly surveyed the area clutching an injured arm made by the explosion. He grimaced in pity and rage as he scanned the scene of destruction all around him. He let out an inhuman scream as he lunged from the center of the wreck he was in, then made his way towards the outskirts of the city. As he walked his mind reeled back on how much he had changed in only a few hours. 

**__**

Flashback::: 2 hours ago

He had been sulking in a tavern, near the entrance of town. His former meeting with the girl named Dawn had deeply troubled him and he found that he would be better off just tossing his pains away with a few pints of alcohol in his stomach. She was right that he shouldn't just give up and throw his life away. However, on the same note, who was she to tell him how to live his life out? He would do what he damn well pleased. Only once, had he listened to anyone else in his life and he wouldn't repeat that mistake twice. Seifer Almasy was his own master. Even if he had been manipulated, he saw the error of his ways and decided upon the best course of action. He never wanted to be used and influenced by anyone ever again. He had wished with, fervent intensity, that Squall would have killed him three years ago. However he had been denied that freedom and instead, was forced to endure a life of failure and shame. 

It was at this point, in his stage of self-pity, that Seifer had seen the televised broadcast made by Emperor Zeilak. He noticed that the room was deathly quiet when it came on then saw how everyone was reverently watching the screen. He trained his vision to the screen as well to see what all the commotion was all about. He had thought nothing of this new threat at first. Simply another menace that Garden's 'hero' would take care of. But that whole train of thought crumbled to dust after hearing of Garden's defeat. Seifer had quickly sobered from his drunken stupor and had paid close attention to the announcement. 

"Hey bartender!" He yelled from across the room.

"What?" The man replied, angry at being interrupted from his concentration on the broadcast.

"What is this garbage? What is this fool talking about? He's saying that he defeated Garden? Turn the channel, I'm not listening to this trash!"

At that, nearly everyone in the bar turned around to face him; some, looking at him with shock and others with disgust and enmity. 

"You damn fool!" The bartender yelled at him. "Look, judging by the sight of ya, I suppose you were drunk when it happened so you may not know about it yet but as it is, three days ago President Cid and Caraway were assassinated at the Unification Ceremony. On top of that, the legendary Seeds, led by none other than Squall Lionheart himself, were defeated and humiliated. This character here is issuing war. So ya better just shut the hell up and listen cause we ain't got no more time for ya. If seed lost to this monster then we can't do nothing but sit back as we prepare to die." 

As he listened to the bartender, he felt his anger rising more and more with each word the man muttered out of his mouth. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Cid was dead. The very thought sent a hurricane of emotions swirling through his mind. As far as he could remember, the man had been the closest thing to a father he ever had. And now he was dead. Viscously murdered by a madman who now wants to kill everyone. And on top of that, the great 'hero' Lionheart and his cronies couldn't beat him. 

Seifer couldn't stand it anymore. He shook with unbridled ferocity. Who the hell did this guy think he was? In one day, Seifer's whole protective reality had been shattered. The 'champions of justice were defeated and his past was literally being stripped from him. 

Seifer grudgingly trained his attention back to the television screen. At the sight of Edea, dying in agony, Seifer became infuriated. He couldn't understand his emotions any more at that point. He had always been trouble for Edea and Cid. He enjoyed making them sweat when they raised him in the past. But now, all he felt was pent up anger, which he had no outlet for. It was at that point that he realized, even though he never said it or showed it, he cherished those memories he had of his caretakers because they were the only ones who would show him any kindness when he needed it the most. Even if he pretended he hated them, deep down he had a respect and love for the very people who brought him in and gave him purpose in his time of emptiness. 

However, he was alleviated from his recent issues with self-control as the room suddenly exploded in a gust of flames, fire and debris. He couldn't think. All he heard were screams of torment and fear from the people around him as they were engulfed the inferno of death. He could do nothing but scream as he too was swallowed up in the explosion. The last sight he saw was of a beam falling over him. The only thing welcoming him afterwards was darkness. 

**__**

Present Time 

Now, as he trudged through the burning debris, a new resolve was set over him. This 'Emperor' had taken everything from him. His reign of terror and destruction had ruined Seifer's reality in only a matter of hours. Seifer would have his revenge. He would avenge the loss of his caretakers and he would bring honor back to the legendary seeds. It was the least he could do for his past actions. Subconsciously, Dawns words began to seep back into Seifer's mind. She was right, it was time to get his life back together and regain his former confidence. Even if it cost him his sanity, it was all he could do. As far as he could surmise, he was the world's final hope. He would atone for his sins or die trying. 

****

"Squall?!"

"…"

"Squall!…"

"…"

"Please answer me Squall! Don't leave me! Not now!… Squall!!!!!"

Squall slowly opened his eyes at the sounds of Rinoa's urgent plea's. The last thing he remembered was of the garden being knocked back by one of the missiles Emperor Zeilak launched. As memories flooded back of that dreadful occasion, Squall couldn't help but clench his fists in anger. 

Rinoa immediately embraced him when she saw him sit up from the floor. "Squall! I was so worried! How are you feeling?"

He gave her a slight grin. "I'm fine." He lied. Truthfully, he felt horrible. He had fallen on his injured side and he knew it was probably badly bruised now. Also he had injured his head as well. He felt somewhat lightheaded and guessed that he probably had a minor concussion. However, it was nothing a few curagas couldn't handle. He slowly rose up to his feet with some help from Rinoa who supported his weight slightly. 

"Status report?" He rasped.

Rinoa's expression became serious. "We barely escaped one of the missiles Zeilak launched. However, our starboard engines have been ruptured. And on top of that, I hear there have been many complaints about other sections of the Garden sustaining severe damage."

Squall nodded his head sagely. "Understood. Casulties?"

"As far as I know, only two. They were doing a maintenance check on the engine when the missile struck. They… are still unrecognizable at this point…"

"I see. Rinoa, Thank you."

The room they were in was a mess. Three fourths of the ceiling were caved in. Huge sections of the wall had collapsed and the lift for the piloting room was busted.

"Were is everybody?" Squall asked as he surveyed the damage. 

"Selphie's in the medical center with Sarah. Sarah got injured in the explosion but luckily nothings wrong with the baby and she is in stable condition now. Nothing too serious, just a minor head injury but regardless, Dr. Kadowaki is still insistent about keeping her there. Selphie is helping her."

Squall bowed his head. _'That was too close.'_ He thought to himself. _'What if Sarah was…No! I can't think like that right now! I have to be strong! For the sake of Garden! For the sake of everyone!'_

"Thanks honey; for everything. Look, can you check up on the students and see how many were injured? Meanwhile, I'm going to see what I can do up here."

"I can do that. But Squall… just…just take it easy ok? I don't want you overstraining yourself. I can't lose you…"

"I know hon, I can't bare to lose you either. I'll be fine. I just need to get us situated or we may be in for another attack."

"I understand. I… I just wanted to-… Squall I'm so sorry about what happened with Edea. I still can't believe it. I know your hurting inside I just don't want you to bottle it up. You're not alone anymore. I want you to know that I'm with you all the way."

For a moment, Squall gave in to his anguish and Rinoa's heart threatened to burst at the sight up him. But suddenly his expression dropped and his stoic masked took over. The transformation was almost too frightening to Rinoa's eyes. 

Squall noticed Rinoa's shocked expression and his voice became soft with emotion. "Rinoa please… Honey I can't… I don't want to deal with the pain right now. Too many people are depending on us. We have to stay focused."

Rinoa nodded slightly. "Ok Squall, but you can't hide your feelings forever. When there is time, ill be there to console with you."

Squall nodded his head in reply to this agreement. "When there is time."

That said, Rinoa turned and walked out of the room. 

Squall milled his way through the wreckage coming up next to Irvin who was looking up at the piloting room on the second floor with dismay. 

"You ok, Irvin? We took quite a bump back there."

Irvin looked at Squall like he had never seen him before. The Garden General felt uneasy under Irvin's odd scrutiny. Finally, the young cowboy spoke.

"Squall,… what the hell is going on?"

Squall could see that there were tears in his eyes, both old and new. Squall couldn't blame him. He wanted to cry to. He wanted to yell out in outrage at the recent events but he couldn't afford to. Too many lives depended on his actions and how he responded to the situation. So instead Squall settled for an attitude of indifference to disguise his true emotions.

"Shit man! This f***ing sucks!" Irvin screamed, trying to vent some of his pent up frustrations. "I mean, who the f*** does this guy think he is? How could he just kill Edea like that?! And then the speech afterwards! How could he defile her memory in such a way.?!?"

Squall took this all in with a calm attitude. "I know exactly what your going through Irvin but loosing control isn't going to help matters any. Right now we need to reorganize ourselves and worry about those 'still' alive. We'll settle up with Edea and Cid's death when we get to that road but right now I need your help. We all need to cooperate and work together otherwise we aren't going to be able to make any kind of a difference in this fight. You get me?"

Irvin was about to say more but then decided against it and swallowed whatever comments he was about to make. "What do you need me to do?"

Squall breathed a sigh of relief. "I need you down in the engine room on the double. Take a few seeds with you. I need to know how bad we got hit and if we can still move in our current condition. Can you do that?"

The cowboy nodded slowly. "I can handle that boss man, don't you worry about that." He turned and began to exit the room but stopped when he got to the doorway. "But… just promise me one thing."

"Yeah?"

"Promise me that we'll get the chance to settle up with that bastard. Promise me that you will at least lead us that far…"

Squall regarded Irvin with a solid look of intensity. "That's one promise I 'can' make, even if it kills me."

Irvin gave a slow nod then left the room, leaving Squall standing in the rubble to handle the duties of the bridge.

Squall took a few minutes to get his bearings straight, then slowly walked around the room, sizing up the damage and seeing what needed immediate repairs.

"Excuse me General." Said Xu as she made her way towards him.

"What is it?"

"Sir, I think you better take a look at this." She quickly jumped up to the second floor of the ravaged office. Squall followed suit and walked up next to her as they stood in the center of the piloting room for Balamb Garden. She promptly handed him an optic scanner, which permitted him to see up to aproximately 4,000 kilometers away. 

"Take a look General." She repeated, while pointing outside.

Squall did so and was appalled at what he saw. In the distance he could see nothing but burnt cinders everywhere he turned. Once beautiful trees and forests were now nothing more then graveyards. Small houses were decimated. Everything for as far as he could see, was destroyed. 

He slowly lowered the scanner and clinched his fists, trying desperately to control his anger. 

"Sir, as far as we can tell, it's the same everywhere. That Zeilak character wasn't bluffing when he said he would recreate the world. Everything's gone."

"…I see. But no matter what, I won't let Zeilak have his way. We are Seeds and its our duty to protect the peace and welfare of those around us."

Squall walked over to the main computer terminal in the piloting room. Fortunately, it hadn't been damaged in the explosion. He turned to face the officer manning it. 

"Patch me a line to the engine room."

"Yes sir."

Once the connection was complete, the image of a tech officer filled the screen. "General, how can I help you sir?"

"Is Irvin with you?"

"Yes sir, he just got here a little while ago."

"Good, put him on."

"Yes sir." A few minutes later the tech's face was replaced with the image of Irvin. 

"Irvin how are things looking on your end?"

"Pretty bad actually. We got ourselves a bad rupture in the main cooling tank. We can move but if we keep going too long this baby's gonna overheat and we may end up loosing the engine for good."

Squall closed his eyes briefly, taking in all the possible courses of action. "What about repairs? How long will they take?"

"Well that's just it, we don't have sufficient supplies to make any permanent repairs. We can patch her up a bit at best but that's only gonna last for so long until it gives way."

"I see. About how long will those short term repairs take?"

"Probably a day. Maybe less if the engineers down here get snappin."

"And do you have any idea how long the engine would last before the repairs give way?"

"At best, I'd give her about four days."

"Ok thanks Irvin. Do what you can down there and meet me back on the bridge ok?"

"Gottcha Squall. Over and out."

"Squall turned from the monitor and walked up to Xu. 

"The closest area to us is Balamb correct? How far are we from there?"

"About 9,000 miles sir."

He nodded meticulously at this, slowly collecting his thoughts for what he was going to say next. "Ok I need you to relay these orders to everyone for me. Can you do that Xu?"

"Yes sir, what are your orders?"

"Right, I want you to get everyone ready. We are launching Garden to Balamb. Once there we will receive repairs and in return we will offer our services to the citizens to help them in any way we can."

Xu's face darkened at this. "With all due respect sir, wouldn't the better course of action be for us to find a shelter area and send someone out for supplies instead. Our Garden is in a very fragile position. Even if we do manage to make it to the City before our engines give out, we don't know if we will come into contract with another enemy attack. According to the handbook series number x2947 the correct decision in these types of situations is for us to-"

"This is not a handbook Xu!" Squall countered, flinging his arm out towards the scene around them. "This is no time for textbook propaganda. Look I understand we are in a vulnerable state but it's the best we can do, given our current circumstances. If we did 'hide' as you recommended, our repairs would take a considerably longer amount of time. In that time, Zeilak would find us anyway so we would only be facing the inevidable. As far as our engines are concerned, don't worry yourself over it. It is a gamble that I am willing to make. I am confident we will be able to make it."

Xu was exasperated. "But sir! Think about what you are saying! You said we should offer assistance to the citizens of Balamb! We can't afford that kind of action."

"Look Xu, the reason why everything is as it is now is because we screwed up! We, as protectors of the peace, were obligated to prevent something like this. I won't abandon those in need of my help especially when I feel partially responsible for their bleak plight. Now, my orders are that when we make it to the city we will help them as long as it takes till our repairs are made. If you don't like those orders, then file a complaint after we make it to Balamb and in the meantime you can spend your time in your quarters. I don't need anyone undermining me anytime I give an order."

Xu's face reddened in anger and embarrassment to Squall's harsh words. "I apologize sir. That won't be necessary. I will follow your orders as you have given them."

"Very well then, relay those orders. I'm going to contact reinforcements from other Gardens."

"Yes sir." Xu said with a slight grumble in her voice. 

Squall purposefully chose to ignore it and made his way to the communications room, preparing himself for what he would say to the officers of the other Gardens when he contacted them.

****

After what seemed like years, Seifer finally made it to the exit of Timber. His grimy shoes where covered in burnt soot and dust. He was exhausted from the trek, which made him wonder when the last time was that he had gotten a decent exercise. He angrily wiped sweat from his forehead as he walked out into the open field. His eyes narrowed furiously as he saw the destruction around him. 

"So you've finally decided huh?"

Seifer swung around swiftly wishing he still had his gunblade. "Who's there?" he asked suspiciously.

Slowly, Dawn walked out into the open. She was wearing a traveling cloak with a baggy green shirt and matching baggy green pants underneath. "You forgot me already?" She asked with a hint of a smile on her face. 

"Oh, it's you." Seifer said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Somehow I knew you would survive the explosion."

"So, I see you've finally made a decision." She said, ignoring his last comment. 

"Yeah, I did" Seifer replied in a low voice.

"And what do you plan to do now?"

"Take my revenge on Zeilak and his minions for what they did to Edea and Cid of course!"

She shrugged slightly. "Well in that case won't you be needing this?" She then reached into her black cloak, withdrawing Hyperion from its resting place at her side and tossed it towards him. Seifer deftly caught his old weapon of choice, caressing the handle lovingly as he examined the condition it was in.

"But how did you…"

She smiled coyly. "I have my connections. A storeowner at a fleece shop was trying to get rid of it. I was lucky I got there in time. He was planning on burning it down and making something different with the raw metal remaining. Apparently not too many people are interested in the weapon once wielded by the legendary sorceress knight."

Seifer lowered his head with a sad smile on his face. "They must really hate me huh?"

"Don't let it get to you Seifer. Only you know what was in your mind at the time. They don't know what's in your heart. Therefor the only one who can judge you is yourself."

Seifer nodded slowly at this then looked up at her nervously scratching his beard. "Um… thank you."

Dawn chuckled lightly at his remark. "You can thank me by taking my advice."

"And that is?" He asked suspiciously.

"That you take some time to train before you make your standoff with Zeilak and his acolytes."

"I'm well enough! I don't need to train." Seifer protested, slightly offended at her words.

"Yeah right! And that's why you're sweating like a pig after only walking a few miles? Look, the best thing you can do for yourself right now is to train. If Squall and his seeds couldn't do anything to Zeilak, you sure as hell won't make any kind of success."

Seifer was quiet for a moment, contemplating her words. "Maybe your right…"

"I know I am! And I'll come with you."

"What? What are you gonna do? You can't fight!" Seifer countered vehemently.

"Oh I can't can I? Well then I guess I'll just have to come along anyway just to prove you wrong!" She said brandishing her own weapon of choice. 

Seifer was slightly surprised to see that she was now holding a short sword with fine craftsmanship and a jewel at the center of the hilt. "A sword? Swords are no match for gunblades."

Dawn just smiled slightly. "Oh I think I can manage." She said as suddenly her sword began to pulsate with a soft glow of energy.

"What the hell?"

"It's a GF." She explained. "My weapon of choice is also my partner. It's essentially a charged sword but whenever I feel it's necessary, I can tap extra power from my GF resonating within the center jewel of my blade."

Seifer was dumbfounded. "But… but how did you find a weapon like that?"

"That's my little secret." She said with a smile on her face. "So is that enough to convince you to let me train with you?"

Seifer was skeptical but he slowly nodded his consent. This girl was an anomaly to him. He saw fragments of himself in her personality. He found her outward show of arrogance and zeal admiring yet at the same time it angered him because it reminded him of where his own overconfidence led him. Ultimately, however, he was intrigued by this girl who was so young but showed the potential for so much strength and power.

"Ok but just let me ask you one thing. Why are you doing this for me? Who are you?"

The smile slowly faded from Dawn's face as she glanced down at her feet. "I can't answer that now. All I ask is that you trust me."

Seifer narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Please…?" She asked with desperate eyes. 

Seifer was silent for a moment, weighing his options before he finally responded. 

"Fine but when this is all over I'll be expecting an answer."

"A slight smile crept up to Dawns face at his response. "Fair enough."

"So where to? You were the one suggesting that I train so what did you have in mind?"

"Let's head to the east. There are a lot of good monsters there ranging from very weak to very powerful. It should be a good place to test where you stand."

"And let me guess. My final test will be you right?"

Dawn laughed lightly. "You guessed it."

Seifer held back an annoying rebuke and just shrugged. "Fine then. If we're going then let's go."

Dawn smiled brightly and promptly led the way. After all these months things were finally looking up for her. 

Well that's another chapter for ya! What did you all think? Seifer's back in action and Squall is finally putting his foot down. Things are gonna get more intense as the story continues! Well as always thank you all for reading and please review! 

-Cordis


	8. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 7)

Disclaimer: all final fantasy 8 characters places and things belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of it. This fanfic is strictly for the fun and enjoyment of others and I make no profit off of it. 

The chains of fate have begun to set themselves into motion. Emperor Zeilak has made his move. Squall and his seed companions are still on the offensive. Now, in these desperate times of hope and defeat Squall has decided to journey to Balamb for repairs and aid. Meanwhile, Seifer Almasy, the fallen knight, has come to terms with himself and has now decides to enter the battle. Will these brave young hero's be able to thwart Zeilak's plan or are they just delaying the inevitable?

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 7

Turbulence

Balamb was once a city renowned for its beauty and elegance. Its carefree take on life had attracted many people from all over the world. Some called it a paradise for those seeking the simpler life. However, if it was a paradise before, now it was nothing but a nightmare. Decades of beautiful architecture now lay decimated in rubble and dust. The once fine hotel, which was the pride of Balamb, was now buried sixteen feet under at the bottom of the ocean floor. Homes to many families were annihilated and families themselves were utterly wiped out. 

Yet, it is said that only in the most trying of times, will people ever shine the most. A philosophical statement which, would be more suited as that of simple idealism. However, in this very town, the people lived as an embodiment to that very same adage. One such person in particular who became the proverbial lifeline of the town was none other then Rose Dintch, mother of infamous seed, Zell Dintch. 

"I could use a hand over here!" Rose called out towards two of the town's people who were walking by in the distance. 

She was currently working on an elderly man who had fallen victim to serious injury during the explosion. It had been four long days since that fateful day and the poor soul was still in critical condition, desperately clinging on to a dwindling life force. Rose was working diligently to break the man's high fever and was running dangerously low on water. 

"Sorry Mrs. Dintch, Bill and I got our hands full as it is!" John, one of the men passing by, replied back. 

"Look John, I'm in no mood for your antics today ok?" Rose yelled, angrily. "This man is literally dying in front of me. All I need is some cool water. Can't you and Bill do at least that much?"

"And what would be the Point, Dintch?" John seethed back, anger starting to fester in his own voice. "What are you really trying to prove with your macho 'lets save the city' attitude? Are you trying to get an award and be as famous as that hyperactive kid of yours? Can't you accept what's going on around you? Can't you accept the truth? We're all going to die by that maniac and there's nothing you or I or that mercenary son of yours can do about it!"

"So you're just giving up then? Is that is John?" Rose was now burning with her own anger now. "You know I'm really disappointed in you John. After all these years, everyone looked up to you because we thought you could stand on your own two feet. You inspired confidence in others and always kept on going no matter what? And now look at you! You're a pathetic excuse from what you were before."

"Shut up! Don't you dare talk to me in that way!" John screamed, clinching his fists violently. 

"John settle down now, you don't want to cause a scene." Bill said, standing next to him.

"Look John I know your still grieving over the loss of your wife Becky but we have to be strong!" Rose urged, sympathetically. "Wouldn't she want you to keep fighting no matter what?"

However this only had the opposite effect on John. "Don't you ever mention my wife's name you witch! DO YOU HEAR ME?!?" 

John would have jumped on Rose then and there but Bill stopped him short as he wrestled with him, trying to get his friend to gain some self control. Slowly John calmed down then broke into weak sobbing as he slouched on Bill's shoulder. Rose simply watched on in pity and sorrow for the troubled man. 

After a while, the two men stood up and began walking away. Meanwhile Rose had resumed treating the old man as best she could. Suddenly, however, Rose friend, Maggy came around the bend carrying a fresh load of cool water. 

"Maggy, thanks! You're a lifesaver. But how did you know I needed fresh water?"

"Sorry Rose, I kinda heard what was being said back there and I hurried to get the water as fast as I could to try and dissolve the dispute. I guess that happened on its own."

Rose lowered her head in exasperation. "That John is going to need to get it together sooner or later. All he's doing is destroying himself."

"Well he did lose his wife Rose. That woman was the world to John, you know that."

Rose gave Maggy a weak smile and nodded her head. "More then either of you think." She said simply.

Maggy immediately wanted to retake her words but bit her lip instead. She had not meant to stir things up so bad inside Rose. "Rose, look I'm sorry. Of course you know what John is going through. It must be so awful losing Steve after all this time."

Rose nodded slowly with a wistful smile on her face. "We had good times. I'm just happy we had this much time together before we were parted."

Maggy shook her head vehemently and thrust her arms out at Rose. 

"But don't you see? You're stronger then John, Rose. You have been the sole survivor of this whole city. If you weren't here, we would have all fallen apart by now! Can't you see the people look up to you and that only adds to John's misery. He feels like he's not needed now that Becky is gone and with you taking charge like you are, he's feeling even more worthless. Don't you thing it would be best if you just leave him be for now? Otherwise he may do something terribly drastic."

"Rose closed her eyes. "Maggy, we all need time to mourn but if mourning is all we do and we dedicate our lives to the act then it only becomes a form of suicide. If something doesn't break John out of this trend of cynicism and anger, then he's only going to lead himself to an early grave."

Maggy was quiet for a moment as the two elderly women continued to work on dropping the old man's fever. "But Rose…these people, John, Bill, all of us, we're all running low on confidence. We all heard that man's speech. He intends to kill us all. What we need is a miracle to rally the peoples confidence."

"I guess your right." Rose said sadly. "But for as long as I live, I won't give up hope that we can overcome this. Some how, Some way, that madman won't get his wish."

As if on cue to her last comment, the sounds of humming engines began to reverberate in the far distance. Rose looked up in a heartbeat at that sound. 

"Oh god. I hope its not another attack." Maggy said with dread. 

Rose was quiet for a moment as if placing the sound in her mind. Suddenly her eyes lit up.

"That noise! It's a miracle! Just like you said Maggy!" Rose cried happily with tears of Joy.

Maggy was utterly flustered. "Rose what are you talking about? What's happening?"

"Oh Maggy can't you hear it? Can't you tell? My boy's coming back!" She laughed merrily. "My boys coming back to save us all!"

Suddenly, however, as the object came into view, Rose's merry cries caught in her throat. Someone had indeed come, however it wasn't her son at all. 

****

Squall stood resolutely at the center of the piloting room. His thoughts were dwelling on the recent events of the past. He continuously turned the situation over in his mind, coming up with countless different ways to change the inevitable fate which had befallen them. So engulfed was he in his thoughts that he didn't noticed when Xu called out his name until she finally decided to tap him on the shoulder. 

"General Lionheart, something's come up sir."

Squall turned to the girl who had been his constant shadow ever since Balamb Garden took off four days ago. "What is it?" He asked with mild irritation. These last four days had been hell for him. Not only did he have to deal with the strain of what had befallen him personally but he also had to deal with the well being of everyone at Garden and Xu's constant berating of him was definitely not helping. No matter how disguised it was.

Xu regarded Squall with a smug look when she replied. "There apparently seems to be some trouble in the engine room. They are requesting your presence."

Squall knew by the way Xu was looking at him that she thought she had won the little war she had started with him all those days ago. But for the most part, Squall didn't care what she thought of him or how bad of a leader she told everyone he was. The fact was that he 'was' the leader and he would do his duty no matter what. He would follow Cid's dream. 

"Ok tell them ill be right down. In the meantime, I want you to man the bridge. Can you handle that Xu?" This last remark was sarcastic and emphasized her inability to follow his direct orders. 

Xu narrowed her eyes hatefully but nodded her head none the less. "Yes sir I can." She spat through gritted teeth. 

"Good." Squall said, never breaking eye contact. "Inform me immediately, if something comes up."

Squall didn't see the arrogant grin forming on Xu's face as he turned his back to her and walked off the bridge towards the engine room.

****

"Squall, glad to see you could make it!" Irvin greeted as Squall entered the engine room. 

"What seems to be the problem?"

Irvin stood up and started towards an adjoining corridor leading further into the reactor area. "Right this way." He said mechanically. 

Irvin began to converse more as they made their way further towards the reactor core. "It seems the tech boys down in the reactor room greatly miscalculated their findings."

Squall nodded grimly. "I see. So how much time do we have left then?"

"According to our engineers, we've got about 10 hours."

Squall was quiet for the remainder of the walk. Once they entered the main reactor room, Squall and Irvin were greeted by a pudgy, little man with huge glasses and grimy hands. Most of the man's face was covered up by his mat of salt and pepper hair and the huge frisky beard he sprouted from his chin and jaw line. The olive green overcoat he wore to clarify his authority was also very grimy. 

"Good evening, gentlemen." The man greeted as they walked up to him. "I take it you've been informed of our plight general?" 

Squall nodded accordingly. "Indeed I have. But let me ask you this, we are currently about 2000 miles away from Balamb City. Is there any way we could perhaps accelerate our velocity without upsetting the reactor to critical max?" 

The Supreme engineer was silent for a moment as he stroked the stub of hair on his chin in thought. "It is possible, however it would reduce the amount of time we have left, depending on the rate of velocity you wish to attain."

"What if we push it to a 50 percent higher acceleration rate?" Squall asked. 

"Hmm, That would effectively reduce the amount of time left by half. We would have no more then 5 hours before the core reactor for the engine gives out. And not just that; you must also take into consideration that there is a high possibility that the reactor may even explode."

"We could close it off if that happens though right?" Irvin offered helpfully.

"Correct." The engineer replied. "But it would extend the amount of repair time considerably."

"Then that is the price we must pay." Squall countered. "My question now is do you think we could make it in time, given our current distance and anticipated velocity."

"It would be cutting it close but I do believe we could make it happen."

"Good, then it's settled."

Without another word, Squall promptly walked over to the communications terminal on the other side of the room. 

"Xu, do you copy?" He said into the speaker as Xu's face slowly began to form on the terminal screen.

"I copy general. Go ahead."

"Right. I need you to increase the Garden's speed by 50 percent." He replied. 

"Increase speed sir? For what reason?"

"Xu, we don't have time to go into detail right now. Just follow my orders."

Xu smiled smugly from the terminal screen. "You just can't admit it, can you?" 

"What? Xu what are you talking about?" 

"Your little gamble is over and you lost 'general'." Xu replied, placing sarcastic emphasis on the last word. 

Without a second glance, she then turned away from the monitor to face the current pilot manning the Garden. 

"Taselman, I have an order-redirect." She said in an authoritative tone. "Your new orders are to change our present course. Instead, head 56 kilometers north and hold that position until we reach the alcove."

"What?!?" Squall screamed into the communicator. His anger rose as he saw the pilot beginning to carry out his new orders. 

"Xu this is treason! Recall those orders immediately!" Squall yelled. 

Squall saw from his screen, that the pilot was now beginning to hesitate in his task. 

"Ignore those orders seed!" Xu commanded from her position outside of Squall's view. "These past incidents have put sufficient strain on the general's thinking capacities. As of this moment I am now relieving him of command. Seed officer Marveau, cut that transmission right now!" 

And with that, the screen went blank. Suddenly following, the Garden lurched threateningly to the side as it changed course from its present position. 

"Shit!" Squall seethed as he banged roughly into the wall. 

"Problems?" Irvin asked, understating the issue as he too tried to pry himself from the wall. 

Squall gave him an exasperated look. "Irvin is Selphie still in the medical center?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"You have your communicator right? Let me borrow it for a sec."

"Uh sure, you got it bro." Irvin replied as he tossed his communicator to Squall. 

Squall immediately turned it on and sent a line to Selphie. "Selphie do you copy?"

"Hiya Squall! Mind telling me what's going on over there? We just got a nasty bump over here in the medical area."

"Xu's taken over command of the Garden, claiming that I'm not fit to lead. Look, It's a long story. Right now I need you to go to the bridge for me and distract Xu until I get there. It's imperative that she does not increase velocity whatsoever! I'll try to be there as soon as I can. Can you do that for me Selphie?"

"Sure boss! I'm on my way now."

"Thanks, you're a life saver." Squall said, closing communication. 

"So what's the plan boss man?" Irvin asked as Squall handed him back his communicator. 

"I need you to get these engineers to keep this reactor going as long as possible cause I have a feeling we'll need an extension on that time limit. In the mean time, I'm heading to the bridge. There's a severe problem with the chain of authority around here that I mean to rectify right now."

"You go it Squall. I can't make any promises but I'll see what I can do down here."

"Thanks." Squall said then made his way out of the room towards the bridge.

****

It was days like these that made Selphie thankful she was fast on her legs. It seemed the closer she got to the bridge, the more chaotic the Garden swerved. As usual, Squall was very cryptic as to what the situation was, however she trusted him just as much as she trusted any of her other friends. Somehow she knew that once she got to the bridge things would get out of control and she would need Squall's aid. She only hoped that he would hurry up in time. 

Selphie dashed into the elevator and slammed the palm of her hand on the button reading 3rd floor. She slowly fell to her knee's catching her breath while the elevator made its way to the required destination. Selphie realized at that moment that she hand never ran so fast in her life. The thought excited her somewhat and normally she might laugh had the situation not been so serious. 

Once the doors opened she dashed towards the main office which, still after four days of construction, looked more like an entrance to a junkyard. She heedlessly barged in through those double doors but wasn't prepared for what greeted her inside. Selphie simply stared wide-eyed as seven guns were pointed in her direction. 

"Uh, heh heh heh, I suppose there isn't any room for negotiation huh?" She asked meekly. 

Xu walked up in front of the other seven seed officers who aimed their automatics at Selphie's heart. "And I suppose Squall was the one who sent you here, is that it? Is he really that spineless now to have to send one of his lackeys to correct his own mistakes?"

Selphie became furious. "What!?! I am no ones lackey you – you … GEEK!"

Xu laughed mildly at the young seed's rebuke. "Geek? Wow that's original. Look little girl, I'm doing this for the better good of all of Garden. Can't you understand that? Or has Squall got you so brainwashed that you can only see things his way?"

"The only thing I see wrong right now is that you have forcefully taken command of Garden be issuing a coup, apparently under the guise that General Lionheart is no longer fit to lead. That's a lie and you know it! Why did you do this Xu? What is it that you are so afraid Squall will lead us into?"

"I am not afraid of anything! I 'know' Squall will lead us into death. For the sake of all mankind I cannot allow him to make such a grave mistake. Selphie listen to me, he's mentally drained. He's thinking things through irrationally and this irrational behavior of his is going to get us all killed if we don't do something to stop it now! Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, … I understand that you are full of it! Your just obsessed with your own power and you find that this is the best opportunity to get more!"

Xu looked down in sorrow. "Poor Selphie. I really liked you. Did you know that? I really would have wished we could have seen things eye to eye but I guess that's just not in the works now is it?"

Selphie wanted to hug Xu when she saw the truly saddened look on the woman's face. "Oh Xu, can't you-" 

But before Selphie could finish, she was roughly knocked over the head with the butt end of a seed officer's automatic gun. 

Xu closed her eyes in pity. "It's truly sad when good people are duped by the insane wishes of another. Anyway, we have wasted too much time on this girl. Pilot I want you to increase velocity by 50 percent and stay on our present course! Once we reach the alcove everything will be alright."

Suddenly the doors burst open and in came a very furious Squall, closely followed by a dozen seed officers similarly armed. "Xu, just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Squall hissed in slightly suppressed rage. 

Xu did not seem at all bothered by the fact that Squall had caught her or that he currently outnumbered her in force. She smiled and shrugged lightly as she answered back. "Well what does it look like I'm doing 'general'?" I'm saving Garden from a dark future and the world from an even bleaker one."

"That's all I needed to hear! Xu you have committed treason upon Garden and you will be punished accordingly." 

Xu sneered at this and glared at Squall with scorn and hatred. "It was a mistake that you ever became General. Cid really screwed up with that one. I guess he must have been partial to taking pity on the weak and pathetic but why should the rest of us have to suffer for his 'soft heart'?" 

Squall burst with anger at this and barely stopped himself from drawing out his gunblade. "Regardless of what you may tahink of me 'Commander', the fact is I'm still in charge." He sneered. "And right now my orders are that you be assigned to your quarters until I say otherwise."

"On what grounds?" Xu countered. "For saving Garden? For doing what is right when the leader is obviously having a mental breakdown?"

Squall ignored her banter and answered her first question. "For disobeying 'my' orders and challenging your superior officer! Nida, you will Take Xu's place as Commander."

Xu shook with rage as Squall turned away from her. Squall motioned to two of his seed officers. "Doppler, Phillips, get her out of my sight!"

They saluted then carried out their actions with an angry screaming Xu yelling in the background. 

"Savor this victory Squall! Because sooner then later you're going to get what you deserve! You spoiled, self-centered prick!" and with that she was gone.

Squall immediately walked over to Selphie's prone form. "Officer Jenkins I want you to get Selphie to medical on the double."

He then turned towards the current pilot manning the Garden and started issuing a series of orders. "You up there! I want you to change the present course back to our original destination. Tech, connect me with the engine room on the double!" 

Squall walked over to the terminal as the screen on the communications monitor began to clear up. "Irvin how are things looking down there?"

"Well Squall I hate to say this but all hell is about to break lose down here. It seems all those twists and turns really weren't too healthy on this reactor. The Brains down here tell me that we got at least another half hour till this thing is history."

Squall clinched his fists in anger. "Damn, there's no way we could make it to Balamb in time!"

"There… is another alternative."

Squall turned his head in shock. "What do you have in mind?"

"We could rev this baby up to maximum speed. The engineers down here say that it will cause multiple explosions throughout the Garden, mainly on the lower level but the possibility is still out there. They estimate the rate of success at over 80 percent. I guess that means we can pull it off. If you're willing, we can do it."

Squall closed his eyes in contemplation. Sure they might be able to pull it off but at what cost. If it meant that lives would be at stake then Squall didn't want to risk It. However, if they did nothing, they would surly run into more problems then they bargained for. Accepting the lesser of the two evils, Squall made a choice. "Irvin can we concentrate all possible power ruptures to Just the main level?"

"That's a good question. Let me check." Irvin said as he when over to the chief engineer. After a few minutes of conversation, the chief engineer came on screen. 

"General there is a very good possibility that we can concentrate the explosions to the main level but in order for it to work, we would have to keep power usage strictly reserved for the engine only. There's also a definite fact that the whole engine room will be practically non existent when this ride is over. We're definitely going to need a whole new engine design, which will result in an even longer stay at Balamb. And one more thing, if you plan on keeping the explosions at just the main level then you can only use maximum speed for 15 minutes. After that, everything will start blowing sky high. We won't be able to do anything about it after that."

"Very well, I'll take the risk. Do what you have to do down there then get to the second level as fast as you can. At maximum speed I'm sure we can get to Balamb in time."

"I agree but the question is will the reactor hold out long enough. There's a 15% chance that the whole engine may give out before our 15 minutes are up."

"We'll just have to risk it. You've got 10 minutes to get to the second level so hurry it up down there."

"Understood. We got our fingers crossed General."

Squall closed the transmission then switched the line over to the main speaker. "Attention all Balamb Garden occupants, You are all hereby ordered to make your way to the second level as fast as you can. The whole main level is going to be exposed to severe explosions, therefor, I want you all on the second level within the next 10 minutes." Squall closed transmissions and slumped against the wall. "All we can do now is hope for the best." 

Well I guess that could be viewed as a kind of cliff hanger, although not much of one. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, the next one titled 'The arrival' should be out soon! Well as always thanks a lot for reading and please review! 

-Cordis


	9. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 8)

Disclaimer: All final fantasy 8 characters belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of it. This is strictly for the enjoyment of myself and others.

On one side Squall faces a danger the plagues all of mankind and on the other he faces a force that could prove just as deadly; betrayal. Things heat up as Squall must risk all to reach his destination. Balamb is hanging in the distance. Will he make it in time…

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 8

The Unexpected

Things were all moving as planned for Emperor Zeilak. The world was now trembling at his feet and the seeds were all but crippled. Now nothing would bar his path towards his true objective. 

The hallow halls, which at one time, served as the great chamber for President Caraway, were now dark and Empty as the king of darkness contemplated his next moves.

The great halls were now transformed into a throne room with a greatly ornamented chair in the center. Naturally, Zeilak was perched atop that chair. He sat back languidly relishing in the comfort of his high position of power. 

Slowly, a single figure walked towards him from the distance. Had this figure been anyone else, he would have been dead by now. However, this man was the sole exception to that rule. A man who possessed a power and mindset that Zeilak greatly approved of. 

The man dropped to one knee as he came to stand in front of his Emperor. His onyx black cloak slightly concealed his sword which he carried at his side. His black robes collected at his raised knee to reveal the rough fabric of his dark pants and glossy black boots. 

Rhazenak lowered his eyes before his emperor as he spoke. "My liege, we have completely sanctioned the City of Deling at last. The people are utterly under your complete control."

"Good." The Emperor replied. "And how did our raid fair? Were all the countries destroyed?"

"Yes, your highness. They have all been leveled. All that remains is our conquering of them. That should prove to be no problem at all."

"No, I would hope not."

"Do you think the time has finally come to initiate the plan, Sire?"

Emperor Zeilak shifted in his chair as he turned the issue over in his mind. He lowered his head and almost immediately afterwards, sparks of energy began to surround him. The light became so intense that Rhazenak had to turn his face to prevent becoming blinded. Finally, the energy slowly began to dissipate. Zeilak raised his head slowly.

"I have conversed amongst the ancient guardians. They have told me all I wish to know." Zeilak muttered, still slightly drained from the experience. "Yessss… all is ready for me to claim the relics which are rightfully mine."

"Your orders, highness?"

"Send the knight. We will start at Balamb."

"The knight, your majesty?" Rhazenak asked, slightly baffled

"Yes, Sir Alfred does have his streak of noble rubbish however this would be a perfect mission for him don't you think? Search and retrieve is a mission better suited for him then slaughter and mayhem."

Rhazenak was shocked. "Since when has his majesty ever granted such privilege?"

"SUCH PRIVILEGE HAS NOT BEEN GRANTED!" Zeilak roared. His patience was slowly wearing thin. "The knight is a pain however he is also a very valuable asset in battle. I don't wish to dispose of him yet. Do not question me any further Rhazenak, You have your orders now go!"

Rhazenak bowed his head in obedience. "By your word, highness." 

And with that, the young sorcerer departed from his leader with the same stealth in which he had entered. 

Emperor Zeilak watched his retreat in silence. "So now, after all this time, it shall finally commence."

****

Balamb Garden blazed through the skies like a speeding shuttle as its engines strained on the force of maximum velocity. Squall tried to steady himself in the speeding fortress as it thundered through the wilderness of Balamb paving the way to the Capital City.

The Garden had been pushing maximum velocity for 10 minutes. The reactor core and energy outputs were now beginning to give way. Multiple explosions reverberated all throughout the main floors causing the occupants even more turbulence. 

"I don't know how much longer we can take these speeds!" Irvin screamed as he clutched his seat with dear life. 

"Just hang on a little longer!" Squall yelled from the seat across from him. "We've only got five more minutes!"

Irvin Squeezed his eyes shut against the rush of gravity that was constantly pushing him down into his seat. "Five minutes isn't going to matter at all if we're not alive afterwards!" He hollered back at Squall.

Squall shot a glance at his troubled companion but didn't answer him. Another explosion rocked the ship, causing him to jerk forward violently. 

"Sir, that was our navigation control!" Yelled one of the tech officers currently on the bridge. "We can't control it much longer if we keep taking hits like that!"

Squall trained his eyes on the chief tech officer who had accompanied them on the bridge. "If we completely lose the navigation control, will we be able to stay on course by momentum alone?"

"That's a negative. With all the explosions going off, their likely to throw us all over the place."

Squall gritted his teeth in frustration. He pulled out his watch in exasperation. _'Only 4 more minutes.'_

"Squall!" Irvin screamed. "If we lose the navigator control then there's nothing more we can do! We'll have to shut down or we may all die!"

"Lets just cross that bridge when we get to it Irvin!" Squall hollered back.

****

BOOM

"What was that?" 

"Sir, a chunk of the reactor just blew away!"

"Damnit!" Squall seethed. "What will that do to our main power supply?" Squall asked the chief tech. 

"Our speed may start to drop but at our current velocity I think we may be able to hold for a bit."

****

BOOM

This time the explosion felt closer to the bridge. 

"Was that an explosion from the reactor?" Squall queried. "I thought you said they would be only isolated to the lower levels!"

"You're correct." The chief tech answered back. "I did say they would be isolated there. That explosion wasn't anywhere near where the reactor is."

Squall's eyes widened in shock. "Then that means… Everyone scan your monitors! Check field parameters as best as you can! Something hit us and it hit us hard!"

Irvin rammed his fists on his armrest as he tried to scan the terminal on his side. "Of all the lousy times to fall under enemy attack."

One of the techs scratched his head in confusion. "It just doesn't make sense General. I mean our parameter array may be on the fritz but we're picking up absolutely nothing on our terminals. Are you sure that wasn't a mine maybe?"

Squall shook his head. "No mines could have shook us that bad. Recheck your instruments and try infrared. We may be up against-"

****

BOOOOM

This time, the ship rocked so violently many people ripped out of the seat straps, falling into the computer terminals and navigation controls ahead. One of Squalls seat straps snapped and he flew soaring into the side of the wall. 

:SLAM:

Squall clutched the wall, desperately trying to get on his feet with his mind still reeling from the blast. 

"Squall!" Irvin screamed thrusting his hand out to him. "Grab on to my hand!" Squall reached out but suddenly. 

****

BOOM!!!!

This sent Squall's back ramming painfully into the wall. Squall's head bashed against a curve in the framework and darkness promptly followed. 

Irvin saw Squall fall listlessly to the ground but could do nothing about it. If he tired to move in any way, he too would be in the same boat Squall was. It was suicide. But they needed Squall; not just him, Selphie, Rinoa, and the rest of his friends but all of Garden. They all needed Squall to survive. He couldn't just die like this. He was too important. So, without another thought for his own safety, Irvin selflessly unstrapped himself from his seat then slowly inched his way towards Squall's prone form. 

He could hear a million other voices screaming in the background. They were all in pain and probably dying. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to blot out the painful image of the disfigured bodies around him. "Hold on Squall, I'm coming!" 

He inched a bit closer then grabbed onto Squall's jacket and pulled him closer to him. Suddenly the ship listed violently to the side causing everything, including him, to slide along with it. 

"Whoa!" Irvin screamed as he just barely managed to grab hold of the side of his chair before he slide off the deck of the bridge. He desperately clutched at squalls shirt, trying to get a better grip. The ship listed more and he felt his grip waning. "Aarrgh! Come on Squall, give me a little help here!" He muttered.

****

BOOM

If ever Irvin could have had bad luck, then it was definitely now as this time the explosion hit the bridge. Sparks flew everywhere. Terminals erupted into huge bouts of flames. People screamed in agony as bodies flew everyone. Irvin cringed as a disembodied arm slid by him, brushing against his shoulder. 

One of the techs still secured in his seat, shot Irvin a frightened glance, then without another word, he too unstrapped his belt and came over to help. He clutched onto the side of his seat strap with dear life then inched his way towards the hanging cowboy. "Here, grab hold!" the man cried as he tossed a cord towards them. Irvin didn't grab it immediately, weary of relinquishing his hold on the temporary safety he did have but he eventually snagged the cord. 

"I got it!" He breathed as his heat thundered in his chest. The tech began to move back slowly as he pulled on the cord. "Just hang on!" The man hissed through clenched teeth as he struggled against the force of gravity. 

Irvin pulled on his bindings desperately but Squall's weight was just too heavy. He felt his sweaty grip starting to slip off the cord. "Shit!" He screeched. "I'm losing my grip over here!" He hollered to the technician. In response, the man pulled even more on the bindings. "Just hang on a bit longer! I'll have you up!"

Irvin closed his eyes, but obediently clutched onto the cord. _'Nothing I can do but trust him.'_ He thought to himself. He vaguely wondered if Selphie was doing ok when…

****

BOOM

Irvin clutched desperately but it was no use. The bindings snapped. The man holding him lost his grip and he too plunged into the bottomless pit he and Squall were destined to journey towards. Irvin wondered what it would be like to die. He had many regrets. He didn't want to die now. Yet the only solace he found in his seemingly unending descent was an overwhelming well of darkness.

Well I know what you're thinking. That's it? Sorry but this just seemed like a good place to leave off at. But don't worry, the next one will be longer. And more intense hopefully. Well, as always, thanks for reading and please review! 

-Cordis


	10. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 9)

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters, places and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of it. This fanfic is strictly for the fun and enjoyment of others and I make no profit off of it.

Fate. A word that holds much emphasis for those who believe. Yet, is it truly fate that Darkness should befall the world? The nations and capitals of the world have fallen. The seeds have been beaten and now Squall and Irvin have been added to the high toll of casualties. Does the world have any hope at all to succeed? If fate truly is at work then only time will tell. 

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 9

Aftershock

The sky was dark. The atmosphere was desolate and dead. If anything had once survived in this forsaken landscape, it was most assuredly dead now. Yet Rinoa felt no fear as she stood in the middle of it all. She slowly waded through a knee deep river of blood. The lands beyond that were even worse as they were covered in stacks and piles of rotting cadavers. Rinoa would have normally wanted to scream and look away as the maggots feasted on the corps. Even the maggots were disfigured. Instead of the usual small maggots, these creatures were as big as hawks with sharp teeth and blood exposed claws. She would have wanted to cringe at the way they ripped through the flesh, exposing intestines and feasting on them. A couple of the maggots managed to fall into a tug of war with one string of intestines which ended in the organ splitting in half causing blood and other disgusting matter to shower over them. Rinoa would have been appalled. She would have run until she couldn't run any further. She would have screamed for this nightmare to end. Yet, for some odd reason, she just simply didn't fear it anymore. She was prepared for what she would see and she could now bear to see it on her own two feet. 

Thus, it was with this attitude that Rinoa slowly emerged from the sea of blood and walked onto the desolate landscape searching for the sign that will give her insight. She continued to walk for hours upon end until she finally came upon it. In the center of all the desolation was a throne of pure evil. The armrests of the throne where carved in the shape of bones. The seat was made up of the material of soft internal organs that still pumped and beat to the rhythm of a true living soul. The rest of the throne was made up of disembodied patterns of stacked bones of various different organisms including humans. Sitting atop that throne was none other than Zeilak. 

Rinoa's face became an angry scowl as she stared at the demon who ruthlessly murdered her father. However the Emperor of Darkness did nothing; nor did he say anything either. He simply sat there, looking on at his path of destruction. Rinoa's patience had run dry at the sight of this evil man.

"WHY HAVE YOU BROUGHT ME HERE ULTIMECIA? WHAT IS IT THAT I AM TO SEE?" She screamed out into the horizon. "WHAT SIGN AM I TO KNOW?"

Suddenly the whole sky became dark and a thunderstorm broke out hailing her with relentless rain. 

**__**

"Beware of the 12. Beware of the dark angel. Be weary of the day when the moon the star and the sun become one. Know that when the alignment is complete all shall become lost…"

"What are you talking about? You speak in riddles, Sorceress. What is all this stuff you speak of?" 

**__**

"A means to unending power…"

"what am I to do?"

**__**

"Journey forth to Balamb."

"Balamb?"

**__**

"The wheels of time have begun to turn…"

"How much time do we have left?"

**__**

"None…"

****

Rinoa bolted upright as she shot awake from her dream. She looked around and found that she was covered and surrounded in rubble. She felt a searing pain in her head and immediately brought her hand to it. When she pulled it away she saw that it was matted with blood. 

She closed her eyes for a minute, letting her scattered thoughts fall into place. She remembered that everything was exploding and that she was trying to calm down the younger occupants of garden. She remembered leading them to a safety zone then hearing an explosion from the upper levels. She had immediately feared for Squalls life and had run towards the elevator. At that point, the walls had fallen lose and she remembered drowning in the hailing debris. 

She reopened her eyes then slowly rose up to her feet. Almost immediately afterwards, she stumbled back a few steps. She clutched a wall to regain her balance then took a tentative step forwards. Just then, a voice rang out.

"Hello? Is anyone alive out there?" 

"Hello!?!" Rinoa hollered back. "I'm here! Can you hear me?"

Suddenly the owner of the voice emerged from behind a broken beam. 

"Selphie!" Rinoa screamed in delight. "I didn't know you were down here! What are you doing here?"

Selphie had a bandage on her head from her run in with Xu but otherwise she seemed unscathed and even a bit cheerful despite the recent disaster. "Hiya Rinoa!" The young woman greeted. "After that mega huge explosion, I got worried about everyone else. So I decided to see if there was anyone injured out here."

"Me too." Said Rinoa. "I don't think those explosions came from the reactor Selphie. It sounded like they came from the bridge. I'm going to check it out. Want to come along?"

Selphie gave her one of her most famous adventure smiles then hopped a bit as she yelled. "Of course I'll go Rinoa! Our friends are up there." She stopped hopping as a new thought came to her. "But… um how are we going to get up there? The lift is totaled."

Rinoa flashed her friend a mischievous smile. "Why Selphie, have you forgotten that I'm a sorceress?"

Selphie lit up like a Christmas tree. "WOW! You mean we can actually fly there?"

Rinoa nodded, smiling broadly.

"COOL!!!!!!!!! YAYYYY!!!!! WHOOOO HOOOOOO!!" Selphie was ecstatic. "What are we waiting for? Lets go!"

****

Lt. Jerick was an honorable man. He had tried to live up to his morals all of his life. Even life as a Galbadian soldier could have honor to it. And every day, Jerick had done everything that was required of him but he had done it in a way in which it was honorable. However, today was different. He fully served Emperor Zeilak and would carry out his every wish however something didn't seem right to him. His actions did not carry the regular trait of honor he was so used to. For the first time in his life, he felt his hands were dirty. Stained with the stench and blood of war and cruelty. 

Jerick looked up from his hands as he sat on a bench in Balamb City. _'What am I doing here?' _He asked himself mentally. _'This is complete cruelty. These people have suffered enough by our hands. Why must we continue to harass them? They have done nothing to merit our attention.'_

"Hey Jerick!" Yelled another Galbadian officer coming towards him from the distance. "What are you doing sitting around? We've got a whole City under our arms! I'm sure you can find more to do then just sit around moping all day."

Jerick looked at his friend and fellow officer, Mike Warden, but he didn't say anything.

"Hey, what's wrong man? You look like someone just died or something!" 

Jerick flinched at this statement. "Mike, look around you. There's death everywhere."

"Yeah, so? These people are just cattle. They stand in the way of the Emperors divine dream. Such a nuisance must be swept away if we are to pave the way for his majesty's new, world order!"

Jerick sagged his head. "Yes, your right. I see the vision of his excellency's wishes clearly in my mind. Yet at the same time I feel this is wrong. Aren't these people still living human beings? Why should they be treated in such a way?"

Mike wore a shocked and somewhat frightened expression on his face. "Do you dare to question the orders of his majesty!?"

"No… no of course not. It's just that something doesn't sit right with me."

Mike cast his friend a worried glance. "Look Jerick, just get over it man. If any of the higher-up's hear you talking like that, you'll be executed for sure! You know what the penalty is for treason!"

"Yeah, don't worry Mike. I won't bring that subject up again. It's just something I had to get off my chest for a while ya know? Don't worry I'll watch my tongue."

Mike nodded his head sagely. "Good, be sure that you do. Look, I'm going to go get some water from the town basin over there. This scorching heat is giving me sunburn."

Jerick nodded. "Ok, sounds good. In the meantime I'll take your advice and find something to do to get my mind off this senseless brooding."

"That sounds like a good idea!" Mike replied enthusiastically. "I wouldn't want to see my best buddy get executed because of a few delusional thoughts. Anyway, I'm heading out. I got duty all day so I'll meet up with you again at midnight or something like that."

"I gottcha," Jerick agreed. "I'll be around this area. You'll find me easily. See you later." With that Jerick and Mike walked off into separate paths. Jerick walked towards one of the ruined houses. He bit his lip as he saw a torn doll lying amongst the wreck. 

"What's the matter dog?" Came a voice from the distance. "Do you actually have enough humanity in you to feel sorry for your actions? Well I must say I'm impressed!"

Jerick glanced over to see an old woman standing a few feet away from him in the distance. Her friend was standing next to her, apparently trying to calm her down. 

"Rose, just drop it! You'll get yourself hurt if you carry on this way!" the old woman urged pleadingly. 

Rose shrugged her off and continued her barrage of verbal attacks. "What's the matter you scum? Is your conscience finally creeping into that thick plated head of yours?"

"Rose! Stop this!" Her friend Maggy urged her. She was desperately clinging to her friend's shirt, afraid of what might happen. 

Jerick walked up to the elderly woman and rose backed up a bit, despite herself. 

Jerick narrowed his eyes as he stared at the old woman. "Lady I probably deserve your hatred just like the rest of us soldiers but I must ask you to stop your banter right now. If you don't, the next guard you harass like this won't be as lenient as I am."

Rose simply glared her hatred towards the soldier. If looks could kill, he would have died on the spot. Jerick shrugged uselessly. Apologizing wouldn't make any difference in this woman's eyes. But he was a man of honor. Even if his orders contradicted his philosophy, he would continue to cling to his way of life. It was all he had in this crazy war that would bring much blood before it found its proper end. 

"This may not matter much maim but I am truly sorry. Whether you believe me or not is really irrelevant but on my honor I wish this raid had never happened. This war is a mistake. But don't get me wrong, I will serve his Majesty's wishes to the letter. I just wish there was another way we could settle things. You have my sympathy Miss."

Rose had quietly listened to his speech and when it had ended her expression contorted to a sour look. She narrowed her eyes and spat in his face. "You can take your honor and shove it you DOG!" She seethed.

Her friend Maggy pulled her away as Jerick stood there and wiped his face of her saliva with the side of his glove. He trained his eyes on the woman as she and her companion left. He was shocked for a few seconds at first but now he fully accepted his punishment. Never before had anyone ever spat upon his face. However, never before had he ever committed a deed the merited anyone take such a course of action. Many things had changed in his life and he was definitely not happy with it. 

****

The door barring the entrance to the main office on the third floor of Balamb Garden flew open with a loud crash as Rinoa used the powers of sorcery to bend its will. Rinoa was afraid of what she would find. Looking at Selphie who stood next to her, she was sure the feelings were mutual with her as well. However, nothing could have prepared the two women for what really lay inside. The room was utterly decimated. 

Selphie gasped in shock and for once in her life she was speechless. Rinoa was similarly taken aback. She held back her stinging tears, desperately clinging to the vine of hope. Before their very eyes, they saw complete destruction. Nothing could have survived the storm that had struck this room. Even after its initial hit from the Galbadian missile a week ago, the bridge had not looked nearly as bad as it did now. Huge chunks of the floor were broken up into huge craters that were jutting out of the ground at odd angles. Enormous cave-ins had crushed many of the crew and the sun beamed brightly from the wholes in the parts of the walls were the ceiling had gave way. 

The bridge was completely terminated. Rinoa shook violently as she took a tentative step towards the high raised platform. Selphie gasped as she passed by a corps of a man who's terminal had ripped off its hinges and crushed him. Bodies lay everywhere around the room. The stench of death filtered through the air making the two women queasy as they walked. Selphie finally regained her voice, too scared to stay silent in a graveyard like this.

"I-IRVIN?… SQUALL….?" She hollered into the empty depths of the room. "CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?!"

Rinoa waited patiently for a few minutes, praying that they would get a response. Yet, the minutes simply passed by and the room continued to stay silent. Selphie couldn't hide her grief any longer as tears began to gush forth from her eyes. Rinoa looked at her friend with sadness. She too wanted to cry but she couldn't. She wouldn't give up hope on Squall yet. Not until she found his body. So without another word, Rinoa picked up pace towards the bridge platform and began to float up to the upper levels. Selphie saw what her friend was doing and immediately rushed forth so as not to be left behind. 

"Wait up!" Selphie choked, her voice still raw with emotion. "I want to be sure as well!"

Rinoa paused in her levitation. Unbeknownst to Selphie, All of this was having a very big effect on her. She was still injured and she probably had a concussion from the crash but regardless she would walk into the face of death to save Squall. That was the price of love. And she was more then willing to pay up. 

She slowly reached out her hand and cast a float spell on selphie, leveling her up to the same height she was at. She then advanced towards the bridge without another word. Selphie obediently followed. Once she stepped onto the platform, Rinoa wanted to drop to her knees and weep. It was horrible. Much worse then down below. Body parts were literally scattered about the ground. A trail of intestines lay a few feet from the body of a man who was probably caught in some of the explosion when it hit. Another man was impaled by the piloting rod. Two others were crushed by their own seats as they were turned over. Selphie quickly lost her lunch. Rinoa would like to have been able to dispose of her queasiness so easily yet she had nothing to give. She had seen sights much worse then this before. All that remained was the familiar dread that a wicked horrible fate was coming to pass. 

"Uuuughhhh…"

Rinoa and Selphie both immediately jumped at the voice. Selphie pointed to a large bolder to their left and they quickly rushed towards it. As Rinoa used her magic to lift the boulder away, she saw that lying beneath it was a battered old man. She quickly disposed of the weight of the boulder and kneeled down beside the old man. Selphie likewise kneeled. 

The man was in bad shape. His legs were completely crushed under another pile of rock, metal, and pipes. The part that Rinoa had exposed was not much better. The man's forehead was gushing with the blood of his life force. One of his arms was completely disfigured. Broken bones and ligaments were clearly exposed through his open, torn skin. His chest and body were horribly ripped and mangled. A large piece of jagged metal protruded from his stomach and his chest was ripped open at some areas. Suffice to say, the man was in a great deal of pain and he was dying slowly. Tears ran down Selphie's face as she turned away from the horrible sight. Rinoa slowly began to cast multiple spells of Curaga on the poor man but she knew it was no use. The spell only managed to heal some of his wounds and make his departure easier. The man slowly opened his eyes to see the faces of those who tried diligently to save him.

"Your chief engineer Reynolds aren't you?" Rinoa asked in a kind soft voice. The man nodded slightly. An expression of intense pain laced his face. 

"A-… ****cough and you are … Ru- Rh- Rinoa… Correct? wheeze"

Rinoa nodded her head slowly. "Yes I am. And this is my friend Selphie Timult. Just rest easy sir, e- everything will be okay in a while."

The man caught on to what she meant and nodded solemnly. "I-… hack cough u-… understand…"

"Chief? May I ask you what happened here? Did Squall or Irvin survive? We haven't found their bodies yet."

The man's face contorted in a grimace of pain. " pant wheeze T- the… General … hack cough pant pant …. The General was injured… cough…. Very badly…"

Rinoa's blood froze. "How bad? Was he dead when you last saw him?"

"… pant cough cough cough ……. No… H- he was hack cough he was alive… Graaaahhhh….. cough cough"

Rinoa urged the man to stay silent as he convulsed in another fit of pain but he insisted to continue.

"N-no… let me fi- fin- finish young cough young lady… pant heave … The General was alive… He… his straps came undone from the … I- impact. … cough he was knocked unconscious by the mo- momentum…. T- the man … heave cough cough …. pant man… Irvin saved his … life at the last minute… T- the last thing I saw of them… they were falling… I'm so- sorr- sorry… cough cough They seemed to have been crushed…"

Rinoa lowered her head. The tears burst forth at last from her face. Selphie cried louder and louder as reality began to sink into her mind. The old man let the two women cry for a while then he interrupted them both. "P- please… cough now is not the time… for mourning….. no – not yet… We were attacked!… The G- albadian … forces may still be on the loose. They are most…. Likely… invading the Garden… Be advised… That last explosion wasn't from the engine room…"

Rinoa's eyes widened in shock. Selphie was befuddled. "What?" she said in disbelief. 

Rinoa shook her head. Selphie was becoming hysterical. But something had to be done. If the Garden truly was under attack, the seeds had to be warned. Silently, Rinoa rose to her feet. She looked down at the haggard old man with deep sympathy. 

The man looked up at her with understanding. "Go to … them..." He replied silently.

"Thank you…" Rinoa whispered. 

The man slightly clutched Selphie's hand before she rose up to follow Rinoa. "I – I wanted to live … long… enough… to make… i- it to … Balamb… but that's no- longer… possible… cough wheeze wheeze … I … have a son in Balamb… could - cough could you…. Give this to him…?" The man reached into his shirt pocket that miraculously hadn't been damaged in the explosion and pulled out a glowing orb. It was a GF. "T- this was our family heirloom th- that I wanted him to have… could you…"

Selphie nodded briskly, accepting the man's legacy with complete care. "Don't worry about it!" Selphie reassured him. "I'll do it. What's your son's name?" 

The man closed his eyes slowly. He was fading fast. His grip on Selphie's hand began to slack. "Ryan…" the man said in a sigh as his grip on Selphie's hand completely went slack and fell lightly to the ground. She looked on with sadness at the man who had done so much in the history of Garden and had done even more at the edge of his death. Not knowing of anything better to do, she stood up and saluted the man. "Chief Reynolds, your bravery is an inspiration to all seeds everywhere." She said silently. "May you finally find your eternal peace."

Rinoa nodded and likewise saluted in memory of the old Engineer. 

****

BOOM 

A blast suddenly struck the flying fortress. Both women were caught off guard from the sudden attack. Everything shook, as the Garden careened from the blast. 

"What was that?!" Selphie asked in shock.

Rinoa opened her mouth but stopped as she heard the familiar buzz of engine rotors. "It can't be…" She muttered. 

Selphie was also momentarily mesmerized by the sound. "That noise… But how!?" 

The two women rushed to the window and just as they suspected, soaring in the sky, before their very eyes, was none other then the Ragnorak. "How did they get possession of the Ragnorak?" Selphie pondered in confusion. 

Rinoa was silent for a moment. "That's not the Ragnorak." She concluded. "At least, that's not the same one we fought in during the Second Sorceress war. See the emblem on the side? That's the symbol of Galbadia. Apparently, Galbadia had Some Ragnorak's of their own, hidden under wraps." 

Selphie continued to stare out over the horizon as the massive space ship came in for another pass. Rinoa quickly grabbed Selphie's hand and led her away from the bridge. 

"Come on Selphie! We have work to do and we have to do it fast. We have to warn Garden of what's happening and prepare them. And somehow we have to break the news to them that for the first time, they will be going into battle without their leader."

Little did the two women know that, as they passed a mound of rubble, had they looked further down under it, they would have found the whole in which Squall and the others had found their tomb. 

Okie dokie! Yet another chapter completed! Whew, I'm on fire! Well what do you think? Rinoa's taking charge and Selphie's becoming more and more aware of the harsh realities of life. Things continue to heat up and the seeds can do nothing about the new changes that are washing over all of them. Well as always thanks for reading and please review! J

-Cordis


	11. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 10)

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters, places, and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved corporations. I own none of it. This fanfic is purely for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I make no profit from it. 

The tides of battle keep leaning more and more in the favor of Emperor Zeilak. With Squall gone, can the seeds hope to stand up against the Galbadian army who are about to begin their attack on the now defenseless fortress that was once Balamb Garden? And what of Balamb City? What fate will befall the citizens who have all but given up on life? The sting of battle has only just begun! 

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 10

Alive

"Uhhh."

Irvine Kinneas had suffered injuries in his time but this one took the cake. He felt pain tear at his whole body as his mind washed over into waking consciousness. He opened his eyes slightly and almost immediately closed them again. A searing light was shining down on him burning his eyes. 

"Am I in heaven?" He mumbled lightly. 

"Not quite." Came a distinctly familiar voice in the distance.

At the sound of the voice, Irvine shot his eyes back open. He tried to sit up but fell back down as his head began to pound violently. Looking around, Irvine noticed that he was in a totally unfamiliar place. He tried to think back to what happened. The last thing he could remember was trying to save Squall's life then falling. Falling to someplace. He didn't know where. Everything was dark. And now everything was totally unfamiliar. He scanned the area once more and saw only rotting pipes, burnt motors, and all sorts of other types of machinery, all compiled into one working body situated all around him. 

Irvine sighed and put his hand over his aching forehead. "Well, since I hurt so bad, I guess I must be in hell then." 

He could hear a soft chuckle in the distance. Training his eyes, he saw the owner to that voice. "SQUALL?!!"

He shot up immediately, remembering only too late, what happened last time. Irvine groaned as his head began to pound again from his quick movement. 

Sitting across from him, Squall was digging through a small medical pack. "It's probably not such a good idea to be moving so suddenly in your condition." He said flatly, the barest hint of a smile touching his lips. 

Irvine leaned against the side of what seemed to be a pipe jutting out of the ground. "What happened?" He asked as he closed his eyes once more. 

****

"You mean before or after you saved my tail?" Squall asked, not taking his eyes off of his task. 

Irvine flushed slightly. He felt slightly embarrassed at being complimented by Squall. "W- well, ya know, it was nothing Squall." 

Squall nodded his head slightly and continued. "That was a very foolish thing you did. It was reckless and dangerous! But I'm in your debt. You saved my life."

Irvine's face shot beat red. He'd never thought he would ever hear these words coming out of the mouth of Squall Lionheart. 

"After we all fell, you shifted your weight so that you took the brunt of the fall. You nearly killed yourself." Squall trained his eyes on Irvine. "Look, I'm not really good at this sort of thing and all but… well, … thank you." 

Irvine was embarrassed beyond belief but despite himself, a smile formed on his lips. "Hey Squall how many times do I have to tell ya man! We all grew up together! We're the closest thing we could ever have to family. And, well, you're like a brother to me you know? It would suck if anything happened to you."

It was the best Irvine could do at having a heart to heart with another guy and to Squall, that was more then enough. The Garden General simply nodded and (surprisingly) smiled. "Yeah you're right Irvin. You all are like family to me too."

Irvine looked up into the rafters of the dark tunnel they were in. "I wonder if anyone else survived…" Just then a thought occurred to him. "Hey wait! There was someone else who fell in with us! What happened to him? Did… did he die?"

Squall shook his head. "No, far from it. He was the first one to come around. This medical pack belongs to him. He used it to help me when I came to and he told me about everything that happened while I was out. Don't worry, He volunteered to scout around. He should be back any minute now."

Irvine nodded his head, relieved at the news. The man risked his life just like he did. He willingly unstrapped himself from his protective seat to save their lives. In his book, the man was a hero. "So, where are we?" He asked, scanning the area once again. 

Squall sighed heavily. "I don't know." He said in a resigned tone of voice. "Renix and I have been trying to figure that out for a while now. We've scanned high and low but we didn't find anything to be the least big familiar. I guess this is yet another corridor to the Garden that we never knew about." 

"Renix?" Irvine asked in curiosity. 

"That's the guys name; the seed officer who helped us." Squall said as he slouched back against the wall. "I guess all we can do now is wait for him to come back and give us a report on what he's been able to find so far."

Squall held up his hand towards Irvine. "In the meantime, here. Catch!" He tossed him a soft, blue object, which Irvine caught deftly in his right hand. 

"What is it?" Irvine asked as he examined the small package resting in the palm of his hand. 

"It's Renix's. It will help bring your headache down. Just place it on your forehead."

Irvine nodded and did just that. Almost immediately, his headache was gone. "Wow this stuff really ~ whoa!" 

He fell back after removing the packet and trying to stand. 

Squall chuckled lightly. "I never said anything about it taking your headache away. I only mentioned that it would take it down. Don't push yourself. Just keep the pack on your forehead and you'll be ok." 

Irvine nodded reluctantly and placed the pack back on his head. He hated being weak like this. He was never one to lie around feeling sick all of the time. He needed to be doing something constantly. Feeling restless, he decided to try and start up another conversation with Squall. "So, like, how bad was I injured before you treated me?"

Squall looked away, not wanting to meet his gaze. "You were in pretty bad shape. Three broken ribs, a concussion, that old knee injury was re-opened. To be quite honest with you, there were times when Renix and I feared you wouldn't wake up. You were in such bad shape we had to use all of our Couraga's on you."

Irvine lowered his head, feeling slightly self-conscious. "Oh." He replied, simply.

"In any case, we patched you up pretty good from the looks of it. Just give yourself a few hours to rest up and you'll be just like new."

"Ok boss man. Guess I have no other choice in the matter anyway." Irvine said as he closed his eyes. His mind started drifting back to Selphie and he couldn't help but wonder if he would ever see her again. The two had planned to get married but now he wasn't even sure if she survived the attack. He hopped with all of his heart that she did. She meant the world to him and his heart ached at the thought of never being able to see her warm smile or beautiful sparkling eyes again. 

Just then footsteps rang out in the distance. Irvine's head snapped up, although not too quickly this time. "Who is it?" he asked in alarm. 

Squall didn't seem perturbed at all. 

"So, General, I see our patient has finally woken up!" The voice called out from the distance. As the man walked into view, Irvine recognized him immediately. His dark brown skin glistened with sweat apparently from searching the lower levels of their caged prison. His seed over shirt was loose and open. He sported the traditional bald cut however there was a coil of hair trailing down from the nape of his skull in a long- winded cord, signifying the native side of his heritage. He also wore a thin narrow beard and mustache, which ran along his jaw in a thin line. 

As the man walked closer to the duo, Irvine extended his hand in friendship. "It's a pleasure to finally actually meet you. I don't think we've ever really met. The name's Irvine Kinneas. Thanks for the help back there."

Renix smiled and shook his hand enthusiastically. "It was my pleasure sir! Ever since the Sorceress war with Ultimecia, many of us seed Officers look up to you and your companions. In our eyes, you all are heros! If anything, it was the very least I can do."

Squall nodded firmly. "So did you find anything down there?" 

Renix leveled his eyes with Squall's. "Well General, yes and no. I've found us an access tunnel, which we could use to get out of this area. The only problem is that this tunnel leads further into the structure. We may only be digging ourselves an even deeper pit then the one we're already in."

Squall rubbed his chin in thought. 

"But we really don't have a choice in the matter do we Squall?" Irvine stated. "If we stay here we may starve to death. Like you said earlier, this is an unknown area to everyone at Garden and no one knows of its existence so that pretty much drops the whole idea of anyone ever finding us. I think taking that tunnel out may be the best opportunity for us to get out of here."

Renix nodded briskly. "He's got a point there, General."

Squall closed his eyes in thought for a few minutes. He pondered all the possible alternatives they could take. Squall was used to figuring these kinds of strategies out. With the decreased amount of people depending on him, It was easier to handle the strain of making decisions. The consequences weren't as great. After what seemed like hours to Irvine and Renix, he then slowly re-opened his eyes. "Well then," He said with firm resolve in his voice. "So long as we all agree, then I guess there's nothing left to debate. We'll go into the tunnels and take the risk. We depart in three hours. For now lets just let Irvine rest and regain his strength. Meanwhile we should do the same thing. There's no telling what we may find in those tunnels or even how long they will trail before the journey is over. So just relax for now because in a few hours we may never get the chance again."

****

Rinoa ran down the hallway as fast as he legs would carry her. Selphie was trailing fast on her heels as they sprinted towards the main room on the second floor where all the Garden inhabitants were. The explosions reverberating around the Garden were becoming louder and more excessive. From the corner of her eye, Rinoa saw huge chunks of the flying fortress tear away as the Galbadian Ragnorak continued its relentless attack.

Finally, the two women approached their destination. Without a second thought, Rinoa slammed her fist on the button that would open the door. Once the entrance was open, they rushed inside. All eyes were on them as the stood there panting and breathing hard with the thunderstorm of destruction trailing behind in the distance. 

"What's going on out there?" One of the seed's asked in a frightened voice. 

Rinoa immediately took charge, standing before all the occupants of Garden. It was amazing that so many people could fit in one area yet they all couldn't have been together at a better time. "Please listen up everyone! Garden is under attack by the Galbadian army." 

Immediately after saying that, the room became engulfed in loud gasps and other types of surprised expressions. Everyone began speaking at once. Before either Selphie or Rinoa knew, the whole area became flooded with panic. 

"Please calm down guys!" Selphie pleaded however her words were lost in the thunderstorm of voices.

Rinoa gently closed her eyes then whispered a few words Selphie couldn't make out. Suddenly the whole room was silent again. Rinoa stood there in an authoritative manner. Her eyes were dead set on every single seed in the room.

"I apologize for having to resort to such means as to cast SILENCE on all of you but these are dire circumstances and I need your attention if we're going to get out of this alive." The fortress jolted again as another missile struck its already damaged hull. However, this only enforced the point Rinoa was trying to make. Everyone sat down and arranged themselves quietly, awaiting what Rinoa was going to say next.

Selphie watched Rinoa with pride and admiration. Never before, had the young woman ever seen her companion this focused on anything. She smiled lightly as she watched Rinoa take command amongst all the havoc that surrounded them. 

As for Rinoa, she suddenly became unsure of herself as she tried to prepare for what she was going to say next. She never wanted to ever have to take this role in her life but times have changed. 

__

'Why does life have to be so cruel?' She thought to herself in anguish. 

**__**

'What are you doing?' Came the familiar voice that the young sorceress could never forget. 

**__**

'Why do you stall? You have their attention now take advantage of it! You have asserted yourself as their leader! Don't give up now!'

__

'I can't do this…'

**__**

'You must Rinoa! You are a Sorceress! The most powerful one of all! It is your duty! There is no one else! If you back down now, only misery and destruction will come to pass! Act now or all is lost. Inevitably, it's your choice…Save all, or give in to the suffering and allow others to share in that misery…'

Rinoa's mind was whirling with anguish yet the Sorceress words had the sting of truth to them. Thus, Rinoa swallowed her grief and faced the surrounding seeds once more. With a firm, assertive voice she spoke. 

"My fellow companions, I come here bringing grave news. Your commander, my husband, General Squall is missing. His whereabouts are unknown but according to our only source, he is said to be dead. Along with everyone else who was currently on the bridge."

Rinoa silently sighed in relief that her SILENCE spell was still up because by the expressions on their faces, she was sure havoc would have taken over the room once more. 

"I know what you're all thinking and I share in those thoughts but I also know that we must be strong my friends. We must be strong because if we work together we can beat this threat! Together we can beat anything Zeilak has to throw at us, so please,… I know this is a time of strife and anguish for you all but please, just this once, help me. Help me and my friends to fight this threat! For the sake of Garden, for the sake of my father, For the sake of President Cid, and most importantly, for the sake of every man, woman and child whose lives are in the balance if we don't win this war! Please help me…" 

Unable to hold them any longer, tears burst forth from Rinoa's eyes. Tears of sorrow, tears of frustration, and tears of what might come to pass if these very seeds were not willing to give their support in this dire time of war. 

Ironically, it was at that very moment that the SILENCE spell wore off. Much to Rinoa's surprise, instead of hearing doubtful mutters or fear filled cries of terror, she was surrounded in a boisterous round of applause from everyone in the room. The sound thundered through the walls of the beaten up Garden, giving it revitalized strength and hope. Selphie stood right next to everyone else, joining in the supportive clapping. Rinoa wiped her tears away in shock and smiled a bit. 

"We'll stand with you no matter what Rinoa!" One of the seed's yelled.

"We're with you all the way!" yelled another. "Just tell us what to do and we'll give it our best shot!"

Rinoa's smile broadened and she raised her head once more. "Thank you everyone." She said with a raw voice, still overcome with emotion. "Your words mean a lot to me. To my knowledge, the last orders Squall gave were to give Nida command over Xu. That means Nida would be the ranking officer in charge here. Would anyone know where he is?"

Everyone was silent for a few minutes. "We haven't seen him." One of the seeds offered. Slowly everyone else agreed. Rinoa sighed heavily. She didn't know what to do now. No one else was qualified for command. She turned towards Selphie. "Then, as the next highest in line, Selphie, you've got command."

Selphie smiled kindly but gently placed her hands up ushering Rinoa's decree away. "As flattered as I am at such an honor Rinoa, ill have to decline."

"What?" 

"I'm sure I speak for everyone else here, when I say there's someone here more qualified for the task then I."

Rinoa was shocked. Selphie nodded reassuringly towards her and as she turned around, she saw the same accepting glances from everyone else in the room. "We're with you all the way, Captain." Selphie said softly. 

Rinoa was completely baffled. "I-… I don't know what to say…"

Selphie rested a reassuring hand on Rinoa's shoulder. "How about starting off by giving us your orders. Whatever plan you have in mind, we're with you through thick and thin."

Rinoa smiled and nodded slowly. "Ok. Everyone listen up. Here's what I have in mind."

**__**

Author's Note: Well, yet another chapter down the hatch! Rinoa's in charge! Irvine, Squall and Renix are trapped in the uncharted territories of Balamb Garden and Galbadia is still on the move with their relentless attacks! Things will heat up more in the next chapter titled 'Disturbing Behavior'. As always thanks for reading and please review! J

-Cordis


	12. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 11)

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters, places, and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of them. This fanfic is strictly for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I make no profit from it.

Time is of the essence. Squall, Irvine and their friend Renix are trapped in an unknown area of Garden. And Garden itself is under heavy attack. Can Rinoa hope to lead the seeds to victory without the support of their General? So begins the next chapter…

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 11

Disturbing Behavior

"XUUUUU! Xu where are you?" Nida called out. He was currently roaming the second level. Although the Garden was still under heavy fire, he stubbornly continued to take the risk. Unheeded by each jolt he felt as the ship was continually pummeled, Nida kept his mind solidly focused on one objective. 

He continued to walk further and further into the narrow corridors. This hallway was normally not accessible to any Residents at Garden unless they were high officials however in this state of panic, it was used to hold one particularly rebellious seed. 

Nida finally reached the end of the hallway and started towards the last room. His heart thundered at the sight of it. The door was smashed in and it seemed as if the floor was pushed up into the room, crushing everything inside. To make matters worse, the ceiling had, likewise, caved in. 

Clinching his fists, Nida ran up to the door and forcefully pried the entrance loose. "Xu! Are you in here Xu? Are you ok? Please answer me!" 

He listened intently and heard a low moan from under the surrounding rubble at the center of the room. 

"Uhhh…"

"Xu! Xu is that you?" Nida asked anxiously. "Just hold on, I'll get you out!" 

With all of his might, he pushed up on the huge blocks of rubble, and shoved them out of the way. His hands began to bleed as he relentlessly continued to pry the wreckage away. Finally he lifted the last stone away to find Xu lying in a small makeshift cubby hole. It looked as if she had made a last ditch effort to protect herself from the falling wreckage but didn't anticipate suffocation. 

Nida quickly pulled her out of the hole and lay her on his lap as he desperately tired to awaken her. "Xu! Wake up Xu! Please!" He lightly slapped her face to get her to wake up. Slowly her eyes began to seep open.

"Uhhh… Am I still… alive…?"

A smile pulled on Nida's lips as he saw that she was coming to. "Xu everything's gonna be alright. Just rest now."

"Nida…? Where… where are we?" 

"At Balamb. We were under attack. We still are actually. It looks like Galbadia finally tracked us down at last."

Xu's eyes snapped open immediately. "What? What's happened to everyone else? Where's Squall and the rest?"

Nida looked down, stubbornly averting his eyes away from Xu's face. "T- the General is dead. I saw it all from the vid-monitors when I tried to contact him after the first strike. The whole bridge was destroyed… Nobody survived. All that's left are you, me and the rest of the personnel on this floor."

Xu shook off the last traces of fatigue and tried to stand up. "I knew it! We have to get to the others! If we don't do something, everyone's going to die!"

"Xu don't rush yourself. Please understand, General Lionheart had the right idea. If we had hidden ourselves in a corner we would have been in a worse situation then now. Please Xu, I don't want to have to detain you like before…"

Xu glared angrily at Nida's words. "You won't have to! Just point me to where everyone else is. I'll go by myself!"

Xu felt her hand being yanked as she tried to walk past him. "Please, Xu… You don't know what you're doing! Just trust in Squall's wishes. He had the right idea."

Xu roughly yanked her arm free of Nida's grasp. "What do you care what I think anyway? Why don't you just leave me alone and let me do what I have to do!"

Nida couldn't look at her. He spoke silently with his head down. "I… I just care about you Xu. I don't want to be your enemy…"

Xu's eyes widened in shock. She had always liked Nida but she had never assumed he liked her so much. Her heart softened and she dropped to her knees along side him. "Nida… I … I don't know what to say…"

Nida just sat there for a while looking out into space. "… I don't want to fight you anymore Xu…" He said quietly.

Xu nodded slowly. Her eyes threatened to burst forth with tears of emotion. She hugged him softly. "You don't have to fight me anymore Nida. You don't…"

Xu slowly lifted his head so that his eyes were locked with hers. "Nida… Nida I don't want to be the enemy of Garden. I just want to help. I don't want to fight any of you. Especially you…"

Nida closed his eyes against the wave of emotions assaulting him. Their faces were dangerously close. He could feel the soft caress of her breath on his cheeks. Her sparkling eyes danced with intensity and emotion in front of his face. "Xu…" He muttered softly.

"I just… I just need you to stand by me Nida… If I make a move… will you support me?"

Nida's face showed hurt and sorrow. "Xu, … please, please don't ask me to betray Squall's trust…"

She slowly cupped Nida's face in her hands. He was so close, so very close to her now. "Nida… I need your support… please… Nida I need you…"

Finally their lips met. It was a soft passionate kiss. Nida felt as if he was in ecstasy. He had always wanted to do this. He had longed to have Xu this close to him ever since he had first laid eyes on her. This was a moment he never wanted to end. However, slowly in did end and their lips parted. 

"…Nida…?" Xu, asked, her voice still raw with emotion.

Nida opened his eyes softly and stared at Xu with a look of determination. "… Ok Xu… I'll stand by you. No matter what happens, I'll stand by you. I swear it."

****

**BOOM**

Commander Tarvisand smiled gleefully as the Garden took yet another direct hit. This was the best moment of his life. Ever since the second sorceress war he had always felt a grudge towards Garden. During the battle of the Gardens, he had been in command of one of the units who failed miserably. Everyone under his command perished and he inevitably was demoted. Ironically, it had been Seifer's decision to strip him of rank. It was at that very moment that he developed a deep enmity for Garden and Seeds in general. He despised Seifer Almasy the most. Even though the man was The General of Galbadia at the time as well as a traitor to Garden, he was still a Seed in Tarvisand's eyes. Every chance he got, he would glare at the hated man. That had been the start of his incessant growth of hated for all Gardens, which had grown immensely over the three-year gap. All Seed's ever did for him was ruin him. 

Now he was basking in his moment of triumph and glory. The hated 'former' General of Galbadia had disappeared. It was rumored, much to his satisfaction, that he was dead. And now the Seeds were at the palm of his hand. He let out a maniacal laugh as the Garden took another direct hit. 

"That's it men! Burn it all! Kill all of them! Leave no one standing! Burn them all! Burn them in the fires of my vengeance!"

The Galbadian contingent sent to destroy Balamb Garden was, by no means, a small force. The Squadron of soldiers was made up of 5 platoons. Not to mention, they also had the support of a Ragnorak. Emperor Zeilak had allowed them to use seven Galbadian tanks as well. To Tarvisand, these armaments were more then enough to crush his most hated enemies. 

And crush them, they did. Already the Garden had sustained heavy bombardment towards the engine and thruster areas. The whole propeller section was demolished. The bridge was now incinerated. And huge chunks of the body of the flying fortress were burned or torn apart. They were literally gutting the ship were it stood. However, Tarvisand wasn't satisfied yet. He raised his second in command over the communications frequency he had set up in the tank he was in. 

"Lt. Weston, the time has come for operation B. Charge the fortress now. If they did have any defenses at all, then they are most likely destroyed by now. Attack!"

The line was full of static but a hazy voice rang out over the communications disruptions. "Copy that Commander. We're on our way."

Tarvisand sat back languidly in his fortified tank and opened another monitor to view the havoc his troops were about to create. An insane smile crept up to his lips. 

Two platoons of Galbadian soldiers rushed forth preparing to storm the wrecked Garden from the front. Suddenly, to Tarvisands surprise, a huge bright light filled the screen of his monitor, nearly blinding him.

"Shit!" He seethed as he quickly switched off his monitor then opened the canopy of his tank. Tarvisand grit his teeth in rage as he viewed the sight before his eyes. 

Quezolcot soared high into the air raining down showers of electric death towards the approaching platoons of Galbadian Soldiers. A huge thundering roar of explosions reverberated all around the area followed by another flash of blinding light. 

"Arrghh! Damnit!" Tarvisand seethed. He yanked his head away from the searing light of the explosion. Once it died down, he opened his eyes and looked back towards the field. He was completely flabbergasted. The smoke slowly cleared revealing the horrific scene ahead. The whole two Platoons of Galbadian Soldiers along with the entire field around them were all decimated. There was nothing left but a huge crater. Slowly the walls to the entrance of Balamb Garden came crashing down and Tarvisand received yet another rude awakening. Right before his very eyes where hundreds of seed troops standing poised and ready for battle. Tarvisand was completely outraged. In only a matter of minutes, His greatest moments of victory had been transformed into his worst nightmare.

****

Rinoa smiled faintly. Her plan had worked. She anticipated that sooner or later those Galbadian soldiers would want to come in for the kill. And that was the exact time she had wanted to attack them. After using Quezolcot, they had sufficiently reduced the strength of the Galbadian contingent. Her only hope now was that they would be able to stay on the upper hand and not have to risk losing any more lives to these horrible Galbadian demons. 

As she scanned the horizon, she noticed that the tanks were lining up for a full out attack. Banishing all thoughts of concern for the future, she focused her mind on the present.

"Seeds this is it!" She called as she took her place at the head of everyone else. "Lets give this one all we've got! FOR CID, EDEA, ALL OF GARDEN… AND SQUALL! SEEDS ATTACK!"

Suddenly the grounds burst into a relentless war zone. The seeds charged forth, boosted by their memories of all those they had lost. The Galbadian tanks rolled forward and fired multiple shots towards the huge armada of seeds. 

Rinoa immediately flung her arm forth, creating a shield to deflect the long distance attacks. _'There's no turning back.'_ Rinoa thought to herself as she allowed her powers to lift her up high into the air, overseeing the battle below. Finally the two sides met and only blood and steel followed. Many seeds fell. However, many more Galbadians fell as well. Rinoa randomly attacked multiple Galbadian units here and there. Wherever the seeds needed the most support, she would unleash a monstrous GF to flay the Galbadian soldiers to ashes. 

****

The battle continued to rage on. Blood continued to be spilt. Fatigue was finally starting to wear Rinoa down to the point of no return. It had been three hours into the battle now and still it was a bloody haze of destruction down below. Her shoulders sagged heavily as she continued flying through the air observing the seeds progress. They had successfully managed to destroy all of the Galbadian tanks save one. Much of that progress was due to her efforts however. She would shield the seeds long enough for them to immobilize the tanks and thus destroy them. The last tank still stubbornly remained a safe distance away so as to avoid getting involved in the battle. 

Bullets and steel now rang in the air along with the random spurts of explosions as hand grenades went off. Rinoa had done everything she could but now she was completely spent. She had still not recovered from her head injury and now she was beginning to feel lightheaded. She once again glanced towards the ground looking for Selphie in the huge crowd of death. After a moment she spotted her friend. Selphie was doing well as she had expected. Selphie would continuously use her limit break, fully unleashing her magic spells on her opponents. If she didn't do that, she would simply let her nunchucks do the rest and they proved lethal to any oncoming Galbadian soldier foolish enough to attack her head on. However, there were times when she would call upon the mighty powers of her GF Siren. 

Rinoa's eyes began to droop as she passed in and out of consciousness. _'I can't fall now! The battle hasn't been won yet! I must… continue… Just hold on… a little longer Squall…'_

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise.

SHOOOOOOM

"The Ragnorak! Shit I had completely forgotten about it!"

Rinoa flew forth, mentally pushing her fatigue away as she charged forth towards the flying battle ship. She silently wondered why it had concealed itself until now. However, upon flying closer to the ship, she received her answer.

The weapons systems came to life aiming towards her. The Seeds had never been the target for the Ragnorak all along. She was the real target. The brains behind the seat must have be biding his or her time until she became exhausted from the battle, then began the attack run. Rinao bobbed and weeved right and left as she continuously dogged each one of the Ragnorak's attacks. 

Rinoa flew right alongside the haul as the ship was going in the opposite direction. Her eyes blazed a fiery red as she unleashed a huge orb of energy from her hands and tore a wide gaping hole out from the side of the ship. Slowly her head began to spin again, causing her to lose focus. Once it gained sufficient distance, the ship turned back around to face its victim as she soared listlessly towards the ground. The huge auto cannons opened up and the ship prepared its attack. 

****

BRAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPA

Huge bullets sped her way. Rinoa only vaguely saw the approaching danger from exhausted, half-closed eyes. 

__

'I'm sorry Squall…I guess I didn't have what it took to lead your seeds to victory. It looks like I've failed you…'

Rinoa closed her eyes, as the bullets flew closer. _'Don't worry my love… we'll be together soon… and then we can spend an eternity in bliss without a care in the world…'_

**__**

"So it's true? You are giving up already?"

Rinoa shuddered mentally at that familiar, wicked voice. 

__

'Damnit Ultimecia! Leave me alone! Let me die in peace damn you!'

**__**

"We both know there can be no peace as long as 'he' still exists! You will only be running away from your problems!"

__

'I don't care! I just don't care anymore! I want to be with Squall! Just let me be with Squall…'

**__**

"What you find on the other side may not be so appealing…. So you will just run away?… again?"

__

'Shut up!'

**__**

"If it is your will to die and give up on the world then so be it Rinoa Lionheart! You will be dooming all to an eternity of misery and blood shed!"

__

'……."

**__**

"But also know this… You will be dooming your unborn child as well… yes your unborn child who has yet to even see the wonders of this world! Would you deny him his freedom of will too?"

__

'……no……NO'

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rinoa screamed as she immediately came to and swiftly flew out of the way of the approaching bullets. With almost inhuman rage, she rushed forth towards the speeding Ragnorak and summoned forth even more power. Her hair and eyes blazed red as huge goblets of energy began forming around her whole body.

In retaliation, the Ragnorak opened up on her with its full arsenal of weaponry. The main cannon fired round after round however, they only seemed to disintegrate upon impact with her glowing aura of energy. Bullets were sprayed but they too became ineffective to this being of pure energy before them. The engines roared from the rear of the massive ship as it desperately charged towards her. The two hands of the Ragnorak came to life as they charged forth to impale her. 

Rinoa let out an inhuman roar then blazed forth head on towards her target. The fighting below momentarily stopped as they all observed the incredible event that was taking place in the skies. Rinoa charged in, then ripped straight through one of the approaching claws, destroying it on impact. She didn't stop and she continued her coarse and soared right into the cockpit of the ship and before long came out of the other end leaving a tail of fire, explosions and destruction in her wake. The ship reverberated with multiple explosions before finally erupting into a ball of immense flames. Rinoa stood back, watching her handiwork with a deep frown on her face. One sentence silently drifted from her lips. "I will never deny him…"

Okie dokie! That's it for chapter 11! Yikes, Rinoa going nova and Xu and Nida having some secret love affair!?! And that's just the beginning! Well, what did you all think? Love it hate it? Let me know! As always, thank you all so much for reading and please review! J

-Cordis


	13. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 12)

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters, places and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of them. This fanfic is purely for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I make no money from this.

The Plot thickens. Rinoa has asserted command of the Garden. Her and Selphie are all that remain of the legendary heros who had brought down the evil sorceress Ultimecia. Can they hope to defeat Emperor Zeilak before completely conquers all?…

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 12

Journey Of Fate

Ivine had never sweated so much in his life. The trio had been traveling in the lower tunnels of Balamb Garden for five hours now and the strain was beginning take its toll on them all. Irvine sagged heavily as he dragged his feet further and further to keep up the pace. Renix had found a long pipe somewhere down the trail and was now using that as walking support. Even Squall was showing signs of fatigue. He walked slowly and dragged his feet a little yet out of all of them, he seemed the least tired. However he had ditched his leather jacket a few hours ago. 

Irvine stopped him in his tracks. "Squall this is nuts man! I'm starting to have second thoughts about us even taking these tunnels."

Renix came right up next to Irvine and plopped down. "Yeah, he's right General. I feel like I'm dying a slow death down here."

Squall took a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow before answering them. "Look, if we were to turn back now, we would only be dying an even slower death. As long as there's a path ahead for us to take, then there is hope that we can finally get out of these unending tunnels."

Irvine sagged his head. "But still… How much longer do you think we'll be traveling? This trail could lead on for days! Maybe even years!"

"We have to take that risk Irvine. Or would you rather we just stay down here and wait for someone to find our bones after we've starved to death?"

Renix quietly rose to his feet and began to trail ahead. However, neither Squall or Irvine noticed as they continued their debate. 

"Well its better they find our bones in a big room then finding our bones in some cooped up tunnel!" Irvine refuted.

"Are you saying we should just give up?"

"You got any better idea's 'General'? If we keep going we'll die for sure! Hell I feel like I'm on the brink of death already!"

"Look Irvine, just calm down. If we just stop debating this all day and keep moving we might find a way out of here. But arguing about it isn't going to solve-"

"HEY GUYS!" Renix screamed from a few yards ahead of the trail, interrupting them. 

"We got a problem here!"

"What's up?" Squall asked, making his way over to Renix. Irvine slowly followed, hunching his shoulders as he walked. 

"Take a look at that up ahead sir." Renix replied as he pointed his staff towards the path up ahead. Squall and Irvine trained their glances that way. Immediately Irvine groaned loudly. 

"That's it! We're screwed! We're all gonna die!"

Squall sighed heavily. A few yards ahead of them, the path had been caved in. presumably by the battle raging outside. 

"Well, what do you think sir?" Renix asked, leaning heavily on his staff.

"Yeah, Squall, what do you say now?" Irvine taunted.

Squall lowered his head in thought. No matter what, he wasn't going to give up. One way or another he was going to make it back to Rinoa. Alive. He had promised her he would be back and he meant to keep that promise no matter what. 

"Well I guess we could always break our way through. Irvine you still have that Brothers GF don't you?"

Irvine sighed in annoyance. "Look Squall, we already went over this. Our GF's are too big for these compartments. If we summon them, we could risk bringing the whole ceiling down on our heads!"

"Well, what other choice do we have? Like you said, we'll die anyway so why not die while at least trying to survive?"

Irvine stood back moodily, debating the issue over in his mind. Renix continued to watch, standing in the background.

****

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!

The ship rocked violently, as a projectile landed heavily on the ship's hull. The trio fell from the force and suddenly the tunnels began to strain from the pressure.

"Oh shit!" Irvine yelled! "This place is going to cave in! We gotta get out of here before we're crushed along with everything else!"

Squall struggled to rise to his feet as the tunnels continued to shake violently. "Renix, Irvine, head towards the end of the tunnel, we should be protected in there!"

Irvine was hysterical. "What? You want us to run into that deathtrap? Why not just backtrack the way we came!?"

Squall grit his teeth as he continued to struggle to his feet. "If you haven't noticed yet, the materials and support beams at the end of the tunnel are more stable then the ones here. If we backtrack, we'll only be sealing our own fate! NOW MOVE!"

Irvine grudgingly complied and shakily made his way to the end of the tunnel, with Renix close on his heels. Squall clutched the tunnel walls for support and ran for the end as fast as he could. The walls came crashing down on his heels. 

Irvine and Renix slammed into the wall as they finally reached the end of the path. Squall was still running as fast as he could towards them despite the intense shaking going on all around them. The walls caved in and at the last minute, Squall leapt into the air as a huge chunk of the ceiling came blasting down right behind him. Irvine and Renix steadied him, as he fell into them then everything went pitch black as the walls caved in right in front of them. 

Minutes passed and Irvine finally came around. He opened his eyes slightly and heard Renix groan slightly. He crawled over to the seed officer and shook him lightly. 

"Yo Renix. Wake up man. Are you alright?"

Renix rose up to a sitting position but almost immediately clutched his leg. "Ahh, I'm alive but I'm definitely not alright."

Irvine inspected his leg then jumped back in shock. The skin was torn away revealing bone and cartilage. The wound trailed all the way from his calf to his knee. 

Renix face beaded with sweat as he gave out a shaky laugh. "Not a pretty sight huh?"

Irvine couldn't say anything. He felt guilty for the man. They had no more Curaga spells to treat him. He would probably end up dying from gangrene. 

"Uhhh…" 

Slowly, Squall began to come around as well. 

"You ok Squall?" Irvine asked. 

"How is everyone?" Squall asked in a heavy voice, avoiding the question. 

"I'm fine but Renix is hurt pretty bad."

"How bad?"

"Very bad. He can't walk. And if we don't find some Curaga's soon, he may never walk again."

Squall sagged his head. "Well we can't go out the way we came. We're blocked in."

Irvine clutched his hands into tight fists. "Shit man! This is so f%$ked up! How are we gonna get out of this one."

Squall closed his eyes for a moment then looked up towards Renix and Irvine. "We've got no choice now. We've got to use the GF's and take the risk."

Irvine and Renix were both quiet for a while, then they each slowly nodded their consent to the plan. Squall began to synchronize with Shiva then suddenly…

"Wait!"

All three men turned their heads swiftly at the new voice. 

"What the hell?" Irvine swore. 

Squall studied the figure that was now standing a few feet from them, as if he materialized out of no where. "Who are you? Where did you come from?" 

As Squall looked the figure over, he noticed that by the standing posture it was a male. But other then that, Squall could note nothing more about him. His whole body was enveloped in a long draping cloak. He had extremely long bony fingers that were jaundiced in color. The voice was old and scraggily as the man continued to talk.

"Who I am and where I am from are unimportant at the moment. Right now, all you need to know is what I am about to tell you right now."

"And what would that be, oh wise one?" Irvine asked skeptically as he slowly withdrew the shotgun from his trench coat.

"Know this. Although there is a battle waging on outside, there is a much greater risk at stake in Balamb City."

"Balamb city!?" Squall asked in shock. "What's happening there?"

"A momentous event is about to take place that could greatly turn the tide of battle in Emperor Zeilak's favor. You must stop them before it is too late."

"And how are we gonna do that?" Irvine asked. "We're stuck here and they're over there. How the hell are we supposed to do anything?"

In response, the old man slowly walked up to them. Irvine clutched his gun tighter as the man approached them. Squall seemed to be in a trance as he simply stared at the old man. Slowly he knelt down to one knee in front of Renix. Renix quickly bolted back as his face began to shake violently. 

"Hey leave him alone!" Irvine cried as he yanked out his shotgun and trained it on the old man. 

The figure momentarily stopped what he was doing and regarded Irvine through the dark folds of his hood. "There is no need for that, young man." He replied softly and suddenly to Irvine's surprise he couldn't move.

"W- what the hell did you do to me?" 

The old man said nothing and simply laid his hand upon Renix wounded leg. Irvine's eyes widened as Renix leg began to glow a bright color and a huge aura of energy began to surround it. The light was so bright, Irvine closed his eyes against it. After a few moments he reopened his eyes and the old man was no longer kneeling in front of Renix. Renix was lying there unconscious. He was no longer sweating and there were no lines of pain on his face. 

Irvine looked a few yards ahead and saw the old man standing next to a portal of glowing white light. To his surprise, he could move again. "What did you do to him you monster!" He seethed in rage. The old man gestured slightly towards the unconscious man's leg. 

"Take a look for yourself."

Irvine slowly trained his eyes on Renix wound. To his amazement the wound was gone. All that remained of the horrendous injury was the ripped fabric of his pants. "How? How did you do that without a GF?" Irvine asked.

The old man smiled again. "As I said before, now is not the time for questions. Your aid is needed in Balamb. Go now!" He then pointed towards Squall.

"He has been given all the knowledge you need to know for the mission. Go forth seeds and change the destiny Zeilak has set forth to create!"

Irvin was about to protest again when he felt the firm grip of Squall's hand on his arm. "What the-? Squall? What are you doing!"

Squall said nothing but yanked him forward. 

"Hey! Squall wake up man! He's got you under some kind of mind control! You've got to break free!"

Squall trained his eyes on Irvine. The man shrunk back slightly from the penetrating gaze the Seed General was giving him. There was something in Squall's eyes that spoke louder then words. 

"I am not under anyone's control but my own Irvine." Squall said softly. "Just go through the portal. I'll explain later."

Irvine held back a biting rebuke. He thought about the position they were in and realized that going through the portal was their best and only chance of getting out of the tunnels. Irvine gave Squall a crisp nod then ran towards the portal. However before leaping through he turned back around to face Squall and the old man. 

"What about Renix? What do we do with him?"

"He's coming with us." Squall answered. "We'll definitely need his help. Don't worry, I'll carry him. You go on through and ill catch up with you."

"Ok, I'll just have to take your word for this." Irvine said, still skeptical about the whole situation. He then turned around and leapt into the glowing orb of energy.

Squall lifted Renix up onto his shoulders then approached the portal. Before going through he stopped and glanced back towards the tunnels. 

"Why do you wait Lionheart? I have shown you all you need to see. Is that not enough to spur you on? Why do you hold back?"

Squall stared right into the man's eyes. "I still have many questions I need to ask you. But ill save those till later."

"I sense that is not the only reason why you hesitate… It is your wife isn't it?"

Squall nodded stiffly. "I promised her I would not leave her side."

"Do not worry. She will not die in this battle. I cannot reveal any more then I already have however I will tell you this Squall Lionheart. You and Rinoa will meet again. I promise you that."

Squall hesitated a little more then slowly turned to face the portal. 

"You must go forth now Lionheart!" The old man called after him. "You must leave your friends now to save all. Otherwise all is lost. GO!"

Squall closed his eyes and slowly stepped through the portal. At that very second, Squall's world changed.

Well sorry about that. That was a pretty short chapter I know but don't worry I'll have more stuff going on in the next ones. Well thanks for reading and please tell me what you think? J

-Cordis


	14. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 13)

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters, places, and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of them. This fanfic is purely for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I make no money from it. 

Squall and Co. have been separated from the their friends by fate. All that remains between the Huge Galbadian force and the wrecked Garden and tired seeds is the incredible power of Rinoa and her Sorceress abilities. Is that truly enough to defeat the army of Zeilak?…

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 13

Threads Of Reality

Everything was in total chaos. Seeds and Galbadian's alike, ran wildly as huge chunks of the Galbadian Ragnorak came crashing down to the ground below. Selphie did the best she could to calm the Seeds down however she was having a hard enough time trying to calm herself down as it was. 

Everything had all happened so fast. She had been locked in a fierce fight with one particularly strong Galbadian soldier when all of a sudden she heard a loud roar from the skies. When she looked up she saw Rinoa glowing with a blinding light up in the skies. Her heart caught in her throat when she saw that her friend was facing off with the Ragnorak. However, she was struck completely dumbfounded when she saw how easily and ruthlessly Rinoa had dealt with her adversary. She reminded Selphie of a Phoenix blazing brightly in the skies. Following that climactic event, the flaming ashes of what remained of the Ragnorak rained down causing panic on the grounds. 

Selphie immediately jumped out of the way of a large piece of metal that came hurling towards her. She slowly rose to her feet and gulped when she looked at the huge whole that would have been her had she not moved out of the way in time.

"Everyone just calm down!" She hollered towards the Seeds. "Don't panic or you'll get overwhelmed." 

Her voice was drowned out, however, as the sea of people continued to scream and flail about. Slowly the last few embers of the ship fell to the ground and order was beginning to form again for the Galbadians. A loud speaker rang out in the distance.

"ATTENTION GALBADIAN TROOPS! THIS IS YOUR COMMANDER! DISREGARD THE RAGNORAK. WE HAVE THE SEEDS BEAT! CONTINUE YOUR ATTACK!"

The tank that had been staying dormant in the distance suddenly came to life, firing huge missiles towards the Seeds. 

"Fall back!" Selphie cried. Many Seeds around her fell victim to the viscous explosions. The Seeds resumed their fighting along with the Galbadians. Each side was now fighting with renewed vigor. The Galbadians were fighting with the spirit that they had the Seeds outnumbered while the seeds were spurred on by the actions of Rinoa when she destroyed the Ragnorak. Pandemonium took place once more, and again Selphie was pitted in the center of all the chaos. 

****

Rinoa watched disdainfully as the two sides continued to kill each other down below. She felt a small pang in her heart. She had hoped that her last attack would have brought an end to this incessant battle. She realized she was wrong. The two sides would keep on fighting until one or the other was dead. Making a choice, Rinoa charged up once again. Huge flames of energy peeled off of her. She began glowing in bright forms of red orange and transparent blue. 

Finally, she charged towards the newly attacking tank in the distance. If this machine was destroyed, the Galbadians would lose their initiative and turn away from the battle. 

The tank registered her approach and backed up as fast as it could. The huge cannons came to life once more and fired upon her. Rinoa disregarded the useless shells. She sped on faster then tore through the metal arsenal as if it were paper. She continued to rip her way through the machine until she finally found the pilot. 

Tarvisand witnessed terror like he had never known before. The huge aura of energy came tearing his way. 

"Wha- what the hell are you!?" He cried. He pulled out his handgun and started firing at the glowing angel before him. Rinoa easily melted the bullets before impact. 

"NO!" He screamed then threw his empty handgun at her. 

Rinoa angrily tore at the useless material coming her way. It evaporated at her touch and after a split second it was nothing. Tarvisand cringed further into his chair. The defenseless man shook violently as the Sorceress came closer to him. 

"This battle will end with your death." She said plainly. However, her words belied her true feelings. She silently cried at what she was getting ready to do. This man may have been evil but would she only be repeating that same kind of evil by killing him now? Tarvisand noticed her hesitation and decided to play on that. 

"You d- don't want to kill me." He whispered. "You Seeds are too good for that. Let me go and I promise we will treat you nicely when we present you to His Majesty." 

Unbeknownst to him, that was the only think he could have said to give Rinoa renewed confidence in the choice she had to make. It was true that they were fighting to stay alive. It was also true that she was killing this man to preserve the lives of her friends. However, if she let this man go, the results could be hazardous. If not them, he would turn other innocent civilians over to that monster Zeilak without a care in the world. 

Rinoa's eyes narrowed at the man. "Wa- what are you doing?" He stuttered with fear in his voice. 

In response to that question, Rinoa locked her hand around his throat. The heat from her surrounding energy sizzled as it made contact with his flesh. His skin began to pop and crackle like fried butter. A small sigh escaped his lips and before she realized it, he was dead. 

A single tear crept down her cheek. She had no choice. Once again she charged up. The energy flared even more wildly around her until the whole tank disintegrated from her intense power. It was over. 

The Galbadians on the field witnessed this brutal destruction of their commander and began to waver in their resolve. 

Rinoa walked towards them all. The enveloping energy made her look all the more menacing and powerful. 

"Listen to me Galbadians!" She said with a ting of anger in her voice. "I have destroyed your leader. I can easily do the same to the rest of you. You will cease and desist in your attack. If you do not, then you will be joining your Commander in death. It is your choice."

The Galbadians needed no time to think it over. They immediately filed away and scrambled into the distance. Each of them ran in different directions. The remaining Seeds all yelled in glee and Joy as they watched the retreating forms of their enemies. They had won. 

A faint smile grazed Rinoa's lips. She looked up towards the ravaged Garden. _'I understand what I must do now Squall.' _She thought to herself. _'Please wait for me a little more my love. One day we will be reunited.' _

A small gleam reflected off the corner of her eye. She glanced that way and her eyes snapped wide open.

"I don't believe it!" She said in recognition at the familiar insignia on a new warship heading their way.

****

Sarah was sitting calmly in the makeshift infirmary next to Zell. She had been silent the whole time. After Squall had announced the evacuation of the main floor, everyone had been forced to squish everything up to the second level. Now things were considerably more crowded for her. However, the space in the room did not bother her. The sounds of fighting outside took front seat to all of her problems. For the ninth time that day, she found herself diligently praying for everyone's safety.

She looked down at her husband with tender eyes, softly caressing his golden hair. She missed his spunky, 'go get em' take on life. She missed a lot of things about him but at the moment, the thing she missed most was his supportive, confident attitude. Seeing him vulnerable like this had a tremendous effect on her. It forced her to see the harsh realities of life.

She hoped he would be better soon. Thinking of the child they would soon have together made her feel even worse. If their child grew up never knowing his or her father, it would give her no end of grief. A single tear rolled down her cheek and once again she prayed.

****

CRASH

"What the-" Sarah twisted her head around to the source of the noise. Her eyes widened at the sight before her. Three Galbadian soldiers had entered the medical bay and were making their way towards her. Her thoughts ran wild. _'They got through! Does that mean we lost?'_

She quickly gave Zell's hand one last reassuring squeeze then scrambled behind an adjoining wall. The Soldiers promptly entered the room searching this way and that. 

"HA! Looks like the Seeds got some pretty sick people here!" One of them said as he approached Zell. 

Sarah clinched her fists. She hoped her plan would work. _'Even if they have defeated everyone else, I won't give up just yet. I'll keep fighting until my last breath.'_

"Ha ha! Yeah but get a load of this babe right here!" another Guard said, coming up to Quistis. 

Sarah nervously bit her lip. _'Just a little bit closer.'_

The third Guard walked up. "Enough you two! We've still got a job to do. Lets just find their central core and blow this place up. Then those seeds won't have anything left to fight for."

Sarah just barely held in her gasp of surprise. The Seeds were still alive. And still fighting! That gave her renewed hope. She felt a new calm set over her, the calm of battle as she awaited the right time to proceed. 

The third guard stepped up a little closer. 

"Now!" Sarah hissed as she jumped from the corner. 

The Galbadians were completely taken by surprise. Two of them fumbled with their weapons while the last one jumped back to distance himself. Sarah gave no mercy. 

"FIRA" She screamed as she rushed towards them as fast as she could in her condition. The first soldier fell back and screamed in agony as he was burned by the sudden flames that had engulfed him. The second soldier took a swing. Sarah ducked deftly then rose up with a quick elbow to the jaw. "Blizzara" She called and suddenly the man was encased in a huge block of ice. The final soldier hoisted his weapon and fired. Sarah quickly jumped to the side. She breathed a sigh of relief. Had she jumped even one second later, she would have been riddled with bullets. She cringed slightly at all the overexertion. She hoped that she would be able to do this with no harm to her child. However, she wouldn't give up. She would not lose to these monsters. She crawled slowly along the side of the partition she was hiding behind. 

****

CRASH 

A hand ripped through the overhead glass above her. She screamed in surprise, then tried to gain distance but the hand caught her fast. The Galbadian soldier held her close to him. 

"So you were trying to sabotage us huh?" He rasped in exertion. "Well now I'm gonna use you as a shield to all your friends outside. Death to any who oppose the Emperor!"

Suddenly a fist ripped out of nowhere.

****

BAM

The soldier went soaring through the air as his face was smashed by the hit. He flew through the already broken glass then fell to the floor and skidded all the way to the end of the room. Sarah regarded the man's prone form and saw that his face was a bloody mess. The fist that hit him had shattered the whole left side of his face. Sarah slowly looked back at her savior and almost fainted in shock. 

"ZELL!"

Zell stood there, hunched over and grabbing onto a nearby wall for support. "Hi honey!" He said with a smile on his face. "Did you miss me?"

Sarah laughed joyously then rushed into her husband's arms. Zell held her close. Tears of joy were falling from her eyes. "Oh honey I missed you so much." She whispered. 

"I'm sorry." Zell said softly. "How long was I out?" 

Sarah looked up into his eyes. She smiled at the tender gleam in those bright green shiny orbs. "You've been out for-"

"A lot longer then you would like, if the both of you don't put your hands up right now!" Came a new voice from a few feet away. 

Zell and Sarah quickly looked over and saw that the whole front of the med lab was surrounded with Galbadian soldiers. At least 15 of them in all. 

"We've got you surrounded." One of the Galbadian's said. "And you're still weak, so you really can't do anything!" He taunted, pointing to Zell. 

Zell clinched his fists in anger but he was right. He could do nothing. He could barely even stand. And he knew Sarah was still exhausted from her fighting. They had them cornered. Zell closed his eyes and slowly began to raise his hands. Sarah looked at him frantically. Then after a moment's hesitation, she too followed suit. 

"Wait right there!" A new voice called out. "You're the one's who can't do anything."

They all looked back and once again Sarah felt the urge to faint. The Galbadians immediately threw down their weapons once they saw the newcomers. Zell smiled brightly. "The cavalries arrived."

The new arrivals quickly surrounded all the Galbadian Soldiers. The leader walked up to them and pointed his gun. "By the Order of the Estherian Military, We place you Galbadian Soldiers under arrest!" 

How's that for an ending? More to come soon! As always, thanks for reading J

-Cordis


	15. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 14)

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters, places and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of them. This fanfic is purely for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I make no money from it. 

With the battle of the Garden finally at rest, can the seeds move on without their leader? And amidst all the commotion, Zeilak puts his true plan into motion. Can Squall and Co. hope to repel it?

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 14

Broken

The sun glistened off the mountains as a new day dawned over the horizons. Atop a tall cliff, one man watched as endless rays of magnificent light pierced the blue sky. Seifer Almasy stood frozen in his kata stance. His body was crouched down low and he situated it so that his upper torso and shoulder blades were at an angled arch. His muscles twitched from the stain of holding the same pose. The sword in his right hand was positioned all the way out at arm's length. Sweat beaded down his face and bare back. He wore simple baggy training pants and boots. He had long since, discarded his shit, as it only stifled him earlier in his training. His long, golden hair trailed in the wind. He no longer wore his beard as it existed as a symbol of the bleak three years of his life. 

The first ray of light struck his sword and suddenly he was in a flurry of motion. He moved fluidly through his kata as though he were one with his blade. He swung his sword forward in a horizontal arch then continued the spin as he slowly arched his way up vertically. As soon as he reached his peak, he then came down hard with his blade. In the same fluid motion, he thrust forward. Spinning 180 degrees he struck forward again. After that, he went into another flurry of movement as he spun 900 degrees and thrust his sword out. He recoiled and swooped his sword low while changing direction at a perfect 180 degrees. Once his sword reached up to his waist, he pulled back as though he were a fencer, then thrust forth again. He continued this long array of twists, turns and feints almost in a mechanic ritual. After almost two weeks of training with Dawn, he improved tremendously in his gunblade skills. 

As he repeated the steps of his kata, his mind began to trail back to all that had happened in only two weeks time. At first he had been a reluctant trainee. The vestiges of his ego and his anger towards Zeilak had prevented him from working at his best. However, Dawn was an exceptional teacher. She threw him through the worst drills of his life. And she played on his emotions so that he gave it his all. Whenever he became sluggish in his trained, she reminded him of his purpose. She reminded him of how Zeilak brutally killed his surrogate parents. This infuriated Seifer enough to give 100 % and more. She threw him through drills that could give Garden a run for its money. Seifer smiled slightly at that. She would have him train to the break of dawn then after only a few hours of sleep, she would have him train even more. And after each day, the training would become harder and harder. Into the 4th day of training she pitted him against monsters. It was a disaster as the low-level monster easily defeated him. Dawn had saved him at the last moment. But after that, she became furious and as things ended up, he fought monsters for the whole day straight until he beat them with ease. 

Suffice to say it had been hell, those past two weeks but Seifer was thankful. He still didn't know much about this girl who had taken such an interest in him but he did know this. He owed her big time. He hadn't felt so alive before, even while serving in Garden. He felt as though he were invigorated with new purpose and meaning. Seifer finished up his 20th kata. He plopped down on the ground and grabbed his water bottle that was close to him. Opening the lid, he drained some of the fresh spring water into his mouth. Making sure not to drink too much, he resealed the lid and lay the bottle back down on the ground. Again he smiled at Dawn's training procedures. She had taught him much. Even when working for Ultimecia, he had never picked up the kinds of gunblade sword strokes that he did now. He felt as if he was one with his art; as if he and his gunblade were of one mind and body as he horned his skills to perfection. 

A slight breeze began to pick up and goosebumps ran across Seifer's back. He shivered then reached for his discarded shit. Pulling the rough material down over his shoulders, he trained his eyes skyward. The clouds were darkening. _'Storm coming…'_ He thought to himself. Not the least bit eager to train out in the rain, he pulled himself up to his feet. He picked up his towel and water bottle and began heading back to the small hut he and Dawn shared.

Suddenly a dark shadow began to fall over the skies from behind yet Seifer hadn't noticed. He continued to walk until.

"So we finally meet at last Mr. Almasy!" 

Seifer's eyes widened at the new voice and he shot his head around towards the outline of the most intimidating person he had ever seen in his life. The man was completely envelped in darkness with only the vague hints of polished, dark armor encasing the huge muscles and pitch-black chain mail beneath. Surrounding it all, was the crimson red cape he wore, fluttering furiously in the wind. 

"Who are you?" Seifer hissed through grit teeth. His fingers reflexively tightened on the hilt of his gunblade. 

The man watched all of this in mild amusement with a faint smile on his face. His Black armor seemed to capture the essence of all life surrounding them. His dark aroma was overwhelming and for a moment Seifer thought he would be engulfed by it. 

After a few minutes of pause the man finally spoke. "Why, I thought you would have heard of me by now Mr. Almasy." His voice dripped with sarcasm as he baited him on with taunting eyes. 

Seifer narrowed his eyes in return and raised his sword slightly. "I'm not in the mood for games! Tell me who you are right now or I'll gut you where you stand."

The man shrugged casually. "I guess it can't be helped. Seifer Almasy, I am Emperor Zeilak, Master of this world."

Seifer Instinctively gripped his sword even tighter. His teeth were clenched and his eyes were narrowed in scorn. He shook with rage as he tried to keep himself under control. "What do you want from me?" He seethed. 

Zeilak smiled. "What else? I want you to join my cause of course. I have recognized your potential while under the service of Ultimecia. I believe you could prove useful to me. Besides, I think you are the kind of person who would appreciate siding with the winners, correct?"

Seifer was furious. "Burn in hell." He hissed. 

Zeilak was unfazed. "I am offering you a place in my army. Such honor is not given lightly. Make the right choice and accept Almasy. It is simply put. Either you live within my army or suffer by my hands. The choice is yours." 

Zeilak smiled at Seifer's reaction and decided to push his buttons a little more.

"I know all about you little boy. I know you're a lost lonely boy who constantly tries to ridicule others to create self esteem for yourself."

"Shut up!"

Zeilak chuckled. "Ah I see I must have hit a nerve. You are a lost cause Almasy. You've spent your whole life searching for a reason for your existence and all you've found is how useless you truly are."

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

"You are nothing boy, nothing! You try to become strong but you are continuously beaten and humbled by Squall Lionheart. You hate the fact that he made something of himself. In the midst of your arrogance, that young man whom you ridiculed, excelled you in every way. How does that make you feel? How does it feel to have a low life gain status over you? That shows that you are less then nothing. You will never amount to anything in this world Almasy! I offer you a place in my army. And although you will still be nothing, you will be a more useful nothing to me. And so now I will ask you this one more time… do you accept my offer?"

Seifer was now shaking violently, half from the sting of Zeilak's words and half from the rising anger of all of Zeilak's diabolical actions. Seifer looked at the demon and had only one thing to say.

"Eat shit and die!"

Zeilak shook his head lightly. "It seems I gave you more credit then you deserve Almasy. I didn't assume you would be this stupid."

"Enough!" 

In one quick motion, Seifer charged towards Zeilak and preformed a rising arch slash at the man. Seifer's eyes widened in shock as his sword bit into damp air instead of the familiar softness of blood and flesh. 

"What the hell?" He hissed as he looked around frantically for his opponent. 

"Right behind you…"

Seifer whipped around and was Suddenly knocked off his feet. Zeilak stood right in front of him with an amused smile on his face, his hands folded neatly behind his back. Seifer could not comprehend how he was hit in the first place. 

__

'He's fast…' Seifer thought as he rose up to his feet once more.

"This battle is pointless." Zeilak said in a bored tone. "Why not just give up now?"

"Not yet!" Seifer ran towards the Emperor of Darkness once more. He continuously struck lighting fast at the man. Unfortunately, Zeilak dodged every one of his strikes easily. 

The blond haired man struck once more only to have Zeilak pass his head right past the blade. The Demon king then proceeded to set his foot out, effectively tripping the man. As the rambunctious fighter stumbled over his armored boot, a wicked smile crept up to Zeilak's face and he swiftly struck out his hand, allowing a huge transparent globe of energy to release from it, striking Seifer dead center in the chest. 

The man flew straight into the hard earth, painfully cracking the ground below from sheer impact. 

After a few moments, he slowly stood up once more, absently coughing up a load of blood from his mouth. His face was beaded with sweat from overexertion yet he still stood tall against this new menace. 

"I won't give up!" Seifer yelled. He suddenly charged in again launching strike after strike with renewed vigor. Zeilak chuckled softly and continued to dodge him. 

Seifer felt his anger rising with each strike he missed. He tried different maneuvers on him. He struck left, right, up, down and all other types of variations. Nothing seemed to work on Zeilak. Seifer exhausted the entire extent of his skill yet still he was not able to even touch the demon of darkness. Finally Zeilak skillfully extended one of his arms and swiftly buried his fist deep into the blond man's gut. 

Seifer fell to his knees from immense pain and exhaustion. The blond man's head was lowered as he continued to viciously tear at the pain now threatening his tortured body. "What the hell are you…?" he panted. 

Zeilak's smile broadened. "Your master."

Seifer glared daggers towards the demon who boastfully stood over him.

"I assume you have given me your best? Are you quite done or do you wish to waste more of my time?"

Anger boiled over in Seifer and he shot up to his feet once more, despite the pain. 

"I'm not giving up yet Zeilak!"

Seifer took a few steps back then held his hand out towards his opponent. He gathered the necessary energy and fired a fire spell at him. Zeilak raised an eyebrow slightly and held his arm up in defense. The fire seemed to meld into his armor. The aura of heat faded in and out in a transparent haze of colors. 

Seifer took this as his one opportunity. He swirled his gunblade around until it was bleeding off neon green energy. Once he felt the power build up enough, Seifer swung his blade forward, sending a spear of searing energy towards Zeilak. 

"NO MERCY!"

Everything else was a blur. At the last moment, Zeilak returned the fireball, allowing it to collide with the energy blade Seifer sent his way. To Seifer's surprise, the fireball tore through his attack, and quickly came his way. Seifer's eyes snapped wide in understanding. All that time his fire spell was melded to Zeilak's arm, he was amplifying it with his own power. Seifer had no time to rebuke himself. He was immediately sent flying back into a world of pain. The fireball engulfed him completely, snapping his gunblade in half and sent him flying back into the side of a nearby boulder. Seifer slammed into it and crumbled to the ground like a sack of potatos. 

****

Dawn swam through her morning kata's with the same graceful movements as always. She spun this way and that, making calculated cut strokes then dancing in multiple patterns of parries and attacks. To say she was skilled was only an understatement. She had trained vigorously throughout her whole life, yet still she found the need to grow even stronger. 

She was dressed in loose fitting, black jogging pants, and a dark red tank top. Her hair was tied back securely at the nape of her skull. At her side, lay her infamous cloak which she never left far behind. Around her neck, rested a single charm, something she had never shown anyone before yet at the same time, something that was very dear to her; even more so then the favored GF sword she was currently training with.

As she finished her tenth set for the day she closed her eyes and let the wind cool off her sweating face. She felt the breeze pick up and slowly, she opened her eyes. Something was wrong. She scanned the horizons for any signs of danger. Looking up, she noticed the traces of an approaching storm. However that was the least of her problems. She gathered her cloak closely around her shoulders. Suddenly it struck her clear as day. _'Seifer is in trouble!'_

Once again, she looked off into the horizons, looking for some sign of battle. 

****

BOOM

The sound of the explosion was all she needed to hear. Heedless of the rain that was now pouring down about her, she dashed off into the distance towards the sounds of war.

****

Seifer lay motionless on the ground. Zeilak stood over him, watching the fallen man with mild interest. _'So this is the man who is supposedly destined to carry out half of the legend?' _Zeilak pondered. _'It is hard to believe this man capable of anything.'_

Zeilak slowly raised his massive sword up to eye level and stared at his hilt. The sword was of fine craftsmanship. The blade itself was double edged. The hilt was richly designed with rough material stronger then leather but just as rough. Coiling at odd angles around the hilt was a silver lining. Its significance represented the frailty of all things. Even as the strong material engulfed the hilt of his sword, the coiling silver would always be there to show just how imperfect the rough material really was. This served as a reminder to Zeilak that no matter what, he should never under estimate his opponents. Memories of his distant past swam through his mind. _'Has it really been that long?'_ He queried in his thoughts. _'Has it truly been so long since-'_

The sounds of footsteps immediately brought him back to reality. He pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind as he regarded the new figure standing in the distance. 

"I've been waiting for you. I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up. I must say I was surprised when I first felt the presence of a Strega in the area. However, I am not so surprised now that I see it was only 'you' this whole time. I thank you for making my task so much easier. You save me the effort of having to search for you later on."

Dawn stood there in the shadows. Rain drenched her entire figure as the storm raged on from above. Her blood froze over and she found herself locked into place. She clenched her fists and opened her mouth to reply yet nothing came out. Shutting her eyes tightly, he mind began to swim violently with images of the past. _'Whatever you do, don't think about the fear!' _She told herself mentally. However actions belied words. She looked down and saw that she was trembling violently. She glanced back over at Zeilak and saw that he was watching her every reaction with an amused smile on his face. This gave her enough confidence to speak. 

"So it was you all along Zeilak? But why have you come to this region? You have no purpose here!"

Zeilak raised a single eyebrow. "Oh? I'm not here to fulfill any necessary purpose. To be quite blunt with you, I'm merely picking up a package; Just an added precaution as I'm sure you are already aware."

With that, he hoisted Seifer's unconscious body up on his shoulder and sheathed the broken Hyperion into one of his own scabbards. Dawn's anger rose at the sight of Seifer's defenseless form. 

"If you've hurt him Zeilak I swear that I will-"

"You'll do what?" Zeilak taunted then laughed evilly. "You can do nothing but watch! Watch me Strega!! Watch me as I carry off your precious companion and use him for my own purposes!!!" 

Dawn grit her teeth tight then reached for the hilt of her sword preparing to draw on her opponent. 

"That's not a wise decision." Zeilak said before she could fully unsheathe her weapon. "Don't worry, your time will come soon enough. Be patient. You are not needed right now. I will allow you this temporary freedom for now but be ready when I return." 

An evil smile rose up to Zeilak's face. He turned slowly then raised his right arm. A dark blue aura of energy formed out of nowhere signaling that he was called up one of his portals. 

Dawn watched in horror as he slowly made his way to it. _'No matter what, I can't let him get away with this!' _

Dawn drew her sword then charged at the retreating figure. "ZEILAK!!! PREPARE TO DIE! I WILL NEVER LET YOU HAVE HIM!"

Zeilak turned around casually, as if expecting this turn of events. Dawn charged in for the strike and swung her sword as fast and furious as she could. Suddenly, Zeilak quickly drew his own demon sword then parried her attack. The momentum sent shock waves throughout their surroundings and Dawn found herself being propelled back from the force. She slammed hard into the ground. 

After a moment Dawn rose back up to a kneeling position. She violently coughed up blood then looked up. Zeilak was still standing there as smug as always. 

"I warned you, little Strega. Defy me again and I will not be so merciful next time."

Dawn's knee's buckled as she tried to rise again. "Wait! Zeilak you coward! Don't turn your back against me!"

Zeilak ignored her comments and continued on through the portal until he was completely gone. 

With the last of her energy, Dawn pushed herself up to her feet and raced to the portal as fast as she could. Yet, once she reached her destination, the dark blue aura had disappeared and she found herself plunging straight into the ground. Tears burned her eyes. She simply lay there, not having enough strength to do much of anything else. As exhaustion and sleep began to take her over, on sentence paced through her parched lips. "Damn you Zeilak…"

So what do you all think? Interesting enough? I've got tones of plans for everyone and this is still only the beginning. Please keep reading as the plot will pick up. As always, thanks for reading J

-Cordis


	16. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 15)

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters, places, and things all belong to squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of them. This fanfic is purely for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I make no money from it. 

The end game draws near. With the seeds defeated and the world in disarray, can there be any hope for victory in this war of madness which has been waged by the evil Emperor Zeilak?

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 15

Regroup

Quistis was surrounded in darkness. Everywhere she looked, death stared her right back in the face. She tried to run away but found that she only drifted deeper into the void of despair. She screamed out for help. However, it was to no avail. No one would hear her pleas. No one would answer her calls of distress. She was alone. Wet droplets began falling about her head and shoulders. She quickly looked up and discovered it was blood. Once again she screamed in frustration then fell to her knees in submission. Suddenly, there was a figure standing before her. He laughed mirthfully at her misfortune. Quistis opened her eyes wide at his grotesque yet familiar appearance. He was shrouded in black clothing yet from the elbows down he had long tentacles for hands. It was these very same tentacles he now let loose at her. Quistis tried to run. She tried once more to call upon any form of solace. She found none. Finally, she fell from exhaustion. The tentacles where still upon her. They launched ferociously towards her with the speed of blazing bullets. Quistis shut her eyes against the horrible sight. However, instead of darkness greeting her, there was light. Immense, painfully, bright light. 

****

Quistis slowly opened her eyes the rest of the way. She felt horrible. She meticulously raised her hand to her forehead. This alone, surprisingly, took great effort on her part.

"So your finally awake huh? Welcome back to the real world."

Quistis turned her head slightly towards the speaker. It was a strain even to keep her eyes open yet she found herself smiling at the figure sitting in front of her. 

"Rinoa…"

It was more of a statement then a question, but even still, Rinoa answered her as such. "Yeah, its me Quisty. So… how are you feeling?"

"Honestly?… Like shit! So how long have I been out?"

"About three weeks. You would have been out longer had it not been for the advanced technology they have here in Esther."

Quistis eyes widened in shock slightly. "Esther? We're in Esther? When did this happen?"

Rinoa suddenly tensed. She knew what would come up next and she had been preparing herself for this moment the whole time she watched over Quistis prone form. She pursed her lips slightly as she tried to collect her courage. 

Quistis detected the level of tension Rinoa was generating and rose her head slightly from her pillow. Immediately afterwards she winced in pain and fell back into the soft pillows. 

Rinoa was up in a flash. "Quistis! Are you ok? Did you hurt yourself."

Quistis simply regarded Rinoa levelly. She was not a fool and she was slightly insulted that Rinoa thought she could take her for one. "Rinoa… What happened while I was out?" She asked evenly.

Rinoa stiffened once more. She closed her eyes then quietly sank back into her chair. Once seated, she opened them again and regarded Quistis with eyes beaming with emotion. "Quistis… I don't know where to begin. After that day in Deling everything just seemed to fall apart… So many horrible things…"

"…What happened?" 

"Quistis… maybe you should rest a little while longer. I don't know if you should be hearing this right now."

"Damnit, Rinoa!" Quistis seethed. She was becoming deeply agitated now. "What happened while I was out? Just tell me!"

Rinoa clenched her hands into fists. This was the moment she dreaded most. "Quistis… Squall, Squall and Irvine… They're…"

Just then the door hissed open and a figure promptly walked in. "Rinoa! Quistis! It's been so long! I'm sorry I couldn't meet up with you earlier but with the whole war situation going on, it's kinda hard getting any free time now a days."

Quistis blinked rapidly. "Laguna? What's going on? What war situation?"

Rinoa smiled slightly and silently heaved a sigh of relief. Laguna had temporarily relieved her of the burden she had to unveil to Quistis.

Laguna quickly walked over to Quistis bedside. "Hmm I see. So you haven't been informed yet?"

Quistis was now extremely irate. "Informed on what? What the hell has been going on while I was out? Rinoa what is this talk about Irvin and Squall? What happened to them!?"

Rinoa opened her mouth but just before anything came out-

"Ah don't you worry about a thing right now Quistis. It seems that your teammates are in a bit of a jam somewhere inside Balamb Garden. What we're doing now is going through the process of getting them out of that jam!"

Rinoa glared daggers towards Laguna. She had mixed emotions about his whole take on the situation. Ever since they told him of what happened to Squall and Irvin he seemed to think in a totally positive way about the whole thing. _'If you can't confirm a body then there's still hope' _he had said. Rinoa wanted desperately to believe him but it angered her that he could so casually say such a thing. He hadn't known Squall like she had. He was only an acquaintance. He didn't know what she was going through. It was easy for him to make such radical assumptions because he didn't have to deal with the same pressure she had. Ultimately she was at a conflict of wills. On one side, she desperately wanted Squall to be ok and fully accepted Laguna's idea. However on another side, she didn't want to deal with the heartache anymore. She was just now starting to realize that Squall was gone. If she reawakened hopes that he still lived only for them to be crushed again, she didn't know if she would be able to handle the strain. 

Laguna caught Rinoa's glare and nodded morbidly towards her. "He is still alive." He said firmly.

All the while Quistis just sat there, wide eyed about the whole situation. "Squall is… Squall is hurt? I don't get it. What's wrong with Squall and Irvine?"

Both Rinoa and Laguna glanced at Quistis as if she had just intruded on their private conversation. Laguna softly closed his eyes then straightened up. "I think the two of you have a lot to talk about." He said evenly. He then trained his eyes on Rinoa. "Just remember that there is hope. The moment you give that up then you might as well not go on living. Don't give up hope yet Rinoa…"

Rinoa just sat there, head lowered staring at the ground. She didn't want to give up. She didn't want to stop hoping. She just wanted to stop the hurting. She didn't want to have her heart broken once again by the realization that she would never be with Squall again. 

Suddenly Laguna's face regained its former cheerfulness. "Anyway I just came to let you know that we have found a small hole on the bridge of the Garden. It looks like it leads into a new area. We're forming a search party right now."

Rinoa's eyes snapped wide open. "What?"

Laguna heedlessly continued. "Once we find Squall and the others I'll report back to you so as to put your worries at ease."

Laguna turned crisply and prepared to leave. However, before even going two steps, Rinoa grasped his arm. 

"Wait! I- … I want to go with you!"

Laguna raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure Rinoa? I know you must be exhausted so maybe-"

"Please Laguna… I have to know… I need to know…"

Laguna nodded slowly then released his arm from Rinoa's grasp. "We leave in two hours. I'll be back to give you your gear in a few minutes."

Rinoa returned the nod and with that he walked off, the door hissing behind him.

Quistis had quietly been listening in on the whole conversation. She didn't have much choice in doing otherwise since the more angry she got, the worse her headache became. However, now that it was just the two of them again, she ignored her pain and spoke out. 

"Rinoa…? What's been going on? I think it's time you told me everything."

Rinoa sighed in defeat. Tired eyes regarded Quistis as she began her story. "Quistis… you're right… You have as much right to know as anyone else."

Quistis said nothing but simply nodded her head, issuing for Rinoa to continue. Rinoa took a deep breath and continued. As you already know, the parade was a disaster. We were betrayed from within. M- my fathers own general betrayed Galbadia and the world. After our defeat, Edea sacrificed her life to get us to Balamb Garden. Once there we watched helplessly as Zeilak gave his war decree." 

Tears were now welling up in Rinoa's eyes. She gulped once more and continued. "That bastard killed Edea… Right before our very eyes. Burned her to death and said that that was the penalty for defiance. After that he launched a huge amount of missiles. Everything was leveled after the attack. Even the Garden took a hit. Squall immediately took command of the situation and ordered that we head towards Balamb to regroup and help the citizens as much as possible. Xu gave us a little trouble with that idea. It seems like she was just extremely stressed out and thought Squall was thinking too irrationally. Anyway that conflict was resolved with Xu getting thrown in the brig for insubordination."

Quistis was listening intently to Rinoa's tale but at the mention of her close friend committing treason, she couldn't help the sudden gasp that caught in her throat. 

"Yeah, I know. It's shocking isn't it? But then one has to wonder was that really a premonition in disguise? Given the way things went after that I'd have to assume so. On our way to Balamb we had to strain our engines to the max. However, on the way there, we came under heavy attack by Galbadian forces under the command of Emperor Zeilak. They attacked the bridge…"

Rinoa suddenly became silent and she began to shake violently. Quistis regarded her with sad supporting eyes. With the little strength she had, she reached her arm out to Rinoa's shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze. 

"… Rinoa… you don't have to say it. I can already guess… Squall was on the bridge wasn't he? He and Irvine were both on the bridge when Galbadia attacked, is that it?"

Rinoa nodded silently. Then, she quickly snapped her eyes open and tears began streaming down them. "Quistis, we checked… we checked the whole bridge… There was so much blood… And Squall…. My Squall… is dead!" 

Rinoa buried her head in Quistis shoulder, crying hysterically. Quistis herself, found that her eyes were streaming with tears. She had expected as much about Squall from Rinoa, but just hearing it like this brought a whole new pain to life inside. She couldn't help the pain that gripped at her heart, threatening to tear it asunder. Old memories of the young seed whom she had grown to respect and love flashed before her eyes. 

Suddenly something clicked inside her. She had known Squall for years. She had been on missions with him and had even entrusted her life to him on certain situations. She couldn't just write him off now. She couldn't just give up on him like this. Quistis slowly got a hold of herself and stared intently at Rinoa. 

"Rinoa listen to me. Don't give up yet. You didn't find a body right? So that means there's still hope right?"

Quistis was becoming more and more frantic as she raved on. She just couldn't accept that Squall was dead. The more she thought of it, the more convinced she became that he was still alive. The Squall she knew just wouldn't die so easily. She just couldn't think of it. 

Rinoa responded to Quistis statement by simply crying harder. "I… Quistis I tried to believe, I want to believe… But it just hurts so much… I don't want to have to go through the torment any more…"

"Rinoa…"

"Quistis… I didn't tell anyone else this but Squall… I- I'm pregnant. I'm going to have Squall's child. I don't want my child to grow up without a father!"

Quistis was shocked beyond belief. "Rinoa… I … I don't know what to say…"

"Why does life have to be so cruel…"

It took Quistis a moment to collect herself but finally she raised her arms and pushed Rinoa to arm's length and stared her straight in the eye. 

"Listen to me Rinoa. You may be pregnant but that should serve as extra incentive. Don't give up on Squall yet. Don't lose faith. Look, Squall's counting on you. You have to be strong right?"

Rinoa nodded softly. "You're right Quisty. I just… I just don't know if I'll be able to handle the strain of losing him again."

Quistis nodded sagely. "I know Rinoa. I'll be with you all the way. Don't worry. Lets just take this one step at a time ok?"

Rinoa reluctantly nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Now, just how did we get to Esther anyway?"

Rinoa smiled slightly, glad that Quistis had changed the subject. "After the attack, there were a few Galbadians that got inside the Garden. Luckily at that time Esther troops came to the rescue by the orders of President Laguna. After clearing out the remaining Galbadians, the Estherians offered us assistance. They took note of our plight then sent ten Ragnoraks to our location and they hoisted the Garden over to the Estherian continent. Once we got here, they immediately took you to emergency so that you could get proper medical attention. After we told them about Squall and Irvin, they quickly started tearing the ship apart searching for any sign of our lost leader. That about brings us up to date."

Quistis nodded. "I see." Suddenly her eyes became intent and purposeful. "I want to be a part of the search party too."

"What? But Quistis you're too injured to be moved anywhere! You might have a relaps?"

"And what about you? You're pregnant and still you want to go? Isn't that just as bad in its own way?"

Rinoa was quiet for a moment. "But Quistis what can you do? You said it yourself, you're in a very bad condition."

Quistis sighed sagely. "Yes I know. I can't move much due to the inactivity of using my body. But that doesn't mean I can't use my brain."

Rinoa's eyes suddenly widened as she caught on to what Quistis was suggesting. "Quistis! So you mean-"

Quistis smiled and finished her statement. "I'll serve as data collector and navigator while you guys are all exploring. Not too much strain in that now is there?"

Rinoa simply smiled and hugged Quistis tightly. "Nope." She replied silently. "No strain at all." 

Rinoa looked Quistis in the eye and smiled broadly. "I'm glad you're awake. I could really use your support right now."

Quistis grasped her friend's hand supportively. "Don't worry. I'll do the best I can."

At that moment, Laguna entered the room with a protection suit in his arms. "Ready for the search?" He asked with a cheery smile on his face. 

Rinoa shot a quick glance at Quistis then replied with confidence. "As ready as I'll ever be."

::::::::::To Be Continued::::::::::

Authors note: Well that's another chapter down the hatch. This plot is starting to progress slowly but surely. Don't worry, the action will come soon. Anyway thanks for reading and please stay tuned for chapter 16.


	17. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 16)

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy characters, places, and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of them. This fanfic is purely for fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I make no money from it.

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 16

REVELATIONS

Squall felt as if his whole body were being squished yet, at the same time, expanding as well. It was a completely new experience for him. Even time compression hadn't affected him the way this did. Everywhere he looked, he saw hazy views of transparent images. Squall closed his eyes against the bright neon lights that engulfed his vision. Suddenly everything became cold and he fell against a hard surface. 

Opening his eyes, he noticed he was in a totally new area. The whole room was bathed in a hue of dark blue. Surrounding him, where five huge pillars. Squall shook his head furiously to clear his hazy vision. _'Is this a dream…?'_ He thought to himself. _'Where am I?'_

"Oh man… Anyone catch the number to the train that just ran me over?" Came a new voice from the, not too far, distance. 

"Irvine?" 

Squall turned his head to the side and saw the familiar form of his seed companion slouched over the ground, clearly in pain as the long haired man continued to vigorously message his neck. 

"Are you ok?" He asked, rising to his feet. 

"What does it look like?" Irvine spat irritably. He slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position then scanned the room with wide eyes. "Hey where's Renix?"

"Right here…" The dark man called out a few feet away, similar pain evident in his voice. "Man, next time you guys decide to go on some super dimensional teleportational trip, remind me to decline the offer."

A slight smile formed on Irvine's face. "You and me both buddy. And where the hell are we anyway?" He turned his eyes quickly towards Squall. "I thought we were supposed to be in Balamb? What the hell happened?"

Squall, who had been previously engrossed in scanning the area turned back towards Irvine with a similarly puzzled look on his face. 

"I don't know…" He replied distantly.

Irvine threw his arms up in alarm. "Oh that's just f*cking great! First you talk us into going on some wild goose chase with some weirdo wearing a cloak and now you have exactly no idea where he landed us at? Way to go 'commander'!"

Irvine shrugged his shoulders then sagged slowly onto the ground, lowering his head in defeat. 

Squall too lowered his head, however it was more to do with thought then defeat. Unbeknownst to Irvine, his words had bitten deeply into Squall's conscience. He felt the familiar pang of failure. He had failed in his responsibilities to protect his comrades and even worse, now they were trapped in a completely foreign room with absolutely nothing going for them in their favor. If they were attacked now, he knew it would be all his fault.

Squall shook his head angrily. He wouldn't give up yet. He knew there was a solution to this problem. There was always a solution. He just had to figure out what it was…

Irvine and Renix on the other hand, continued to sit idly to the side, silently awaiting whatever fate would befall them. Irvine raised his head slowly and trained his eyes towards Squall's tall form. "So what now Squall? What's our next move?"

Squall turned his face towards his friend but said nothing. He too was trying to figure out the answer to that very question. _'What do we do? What can we do? We're trapped in a completely new area with no idea what our surroundings are and to make matters even worse, we can't see much of anything here anyway.'_

Squall furrowed his brows in a deep frown then lowered his chin into the cup of his hand in thought. 

Irvine immediately rolled his eyes and once again drooped his head into the lap of his arms. "We're screwed…"

Suddenly the five pillars surrounding them lit up into bright hues of color. Each one bore a different color and flared up lighting the room into one giant transparent collage.

"What the hell?" Irvine called out in alarm.

"The whole room's blazing to life!" Renix said in shock.

Squall immediately took a position in front of his comrades. Instinctively he reached for his gunblade only to find that it was no longer there. Squall grit his teeth in anger but kept his calm. If they were going to die this day, he would make sure they took him out first. He would protect his comrades with his life. He owed them at least that much.

Squall thrust his arms out wide, shielding his companions. Slowly, the light in each pillar began to fade out until every one of them vibrated with a soft glow, just enough to make out the room and see the outlining shapes of human-like figures sitting atop each pillar looking down on them. 

"Greetings Squall Lionhart." Came a blaring voice from the center pillar. "It is a pleasure to finally have this opportunity to meet with you."

"What do you want with us?" The young seed commander yelled back.

"Do not feel threatened." The voice continued. "We, the council of Shumi Elders, mean you no harm. We have summoned you here for a specific purpose. That purpose does not entail your annihilation."

Squall narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You're Shumi…? So then what do you want with us?"

"We have need of you and your seed companions. Your abilities are of the utmost importance to us."

"You're talking about the mission to Balamb right?"

"That is correct…"

"One of your contacts told us we'd be sent there directly. Why are we here? Why haven't we arrived at the required destination yet?"

"We of the council know this is a troubling time for you Squall Lionhart but you must put aside these common place worries and take into greater consideration the true conflict that is at hand."

"I've seen the 'true conflict' at hand already! Your servant made me more then aware of that when he invaded my mind before!"

"Gzar has only shown you parts of the bigger picture. What he could have shown you would have destroyed your mind completely."

"Then what is it huh? Why have you brought us here? What is the reason you have taken me away from my home, my family, and my wife!? What's going to happen to them while I'm away? I left them right in the middle of a full-scale assault for crying out loud!"

"We understand your concerns Lionhart but rest assured that conflict is over. Your companions were victorious and are now stationed in Esther with the aid of President Laguna."

Squall's shoulders seemed to drop a bit from relief but his eyes still kept the dangerous glint of seriousness in them. "So what is to become of us?"

It almost seemed as if the elder shifted nervously in his chair as he prepared his response. "As the situation stands now you are all relieved of your duties at Garden. You are now free agents."

"What do you mean relieved!?!" Irvine spat out, speaking for the first time since the meeting began. 

"You three are to train in preparation for the conflict you are to engage yourselves in with Zeilak. You will remain in our facilities training for the length of three months. Our special ability enhancing technology should be able to help you all improve at a more accelerated rate. Three months is all we can spare. Within that time Zeilak will have issued the order for his soldiers to start their excavation thus giving him a valuable key to the location of the Relics. You will arrive a few days before that event in time to stop it. Do not concern yourselves with the concerns of your friends. We of the council have taken steps in faking your deaths within the closed off levels of Garden. You would have perished had our agent not come to your aid. As it is, this is the most workable approach to the situation."

"What?!?" Squall nearly screamed with rage. "I have a wife! What makes you think me or any of my comrades here are going to train with you for three months? I can't just turn my back on my responsibilities! I won't! NEVER! Take me back right now! I want no part in your sick plans!"

The elder shook his head slowly. "It seems you still do not fully understand the severity of the situation at hand young man. Therefor we have no other choice but to show it to you, All of you."

Suddenly without warning, the ground behind the three seeds began to shake and within no time, a huge orb began to rise out from the floor.

"What the hell is that?" Irvine hissed in a mixture of panic and fear. 

"This…young warrior, is the orb of time. It is a leeway into our past and an oracle to the destiny of our future. Look into it young seeds. Look into the orb and find your destiny!"

All three men nervously turned towards the orb and one after the other, the each began to look deeply into the bright transparent hue. 

Squall's eyes snapped wide as he suddenly felt his body fall rapidly into the swirling abyss. He screamed in alarm then quickly fell into a dark area. He looked around only to see ruble and destruction everywhere he looked. Not far from him, Irvine and Renix, too were horrified by the terrible scenes before them. 

"What… what is this?"

"This is your future and your past Squall Lionhart!" The voice of the Shumi elder said in loud blares coming from all angles. "This is the destiny of the world that will come to be if you do not take steps to stop it. This is the fate of those who tried to stop destiny in the past only to be consumed by it."

"Stop talking in riddles! What's going on?"

Suddenly the whole outline of the area they were in began to change into a scene of serene beauty and magnificence. 

"Over 10 billion years ago this world was not as you know it now. In fact, this world would probably be seen as that of a fantasy in your eyes. This is the world of your ancestors Squall Lionhart. Like now, during this time these people also faced the threat of a terrible disaster. This disaster was called Jenova."

Squall blinked in confusion. "Jenova? What's Jenova?"

"The essence of our eternal plight." As the Elder began his tale, the room began shifting in accordance to his tale, forcing the seeds to relive every moment of his story as each scene played out before them. 

"Jenova is an alien parasite that has long ago attached itself to this world. At first a race of powerful beings known as ancients tried to stop Jenova by trapping her in a geological stratum. However in doing this, they also ended up dying off from the effort. Many years later, the people of the era we are viewing now made the mistake of freeing the demon from her eternal prison. A greedy, demented professor freed the creature and was so captivated by the amount of energy she had that he began feeding her cells into human test subjects. One of the many test subjects injected with this virus was his very son. Years afterwards that son when mad and summoned forth a meteor to destroy the planet, bent on carrying out Jenova's master plan to rid the world of life and take over the desolate planet by feeding off of the souls that would surly flow freely from the lifestream."

The scenes around them now became overly oppressive. Irvine clenched his hands into fists out of annoyance. "What does any of this have to do with us?"

"Everything!" The elder replied ominously. "Before meteor had the chance to destroy the planet completely a group of vagrant hero's came to the rescue. Together with the help of the lifestream they destroyed the meteor and the proverbial son of Jenova. However there was a problem. They thought they had destroyed Jenova yet that wasn't so. Nearly a hundred years later, Jenova resurfaced again. Again hero's came to stop her. Unfortunately because the lifestream had used up so much energy to stop the meteor years before, magic had vanished from all across the lands with the exception of the Guardian forces. But even they seemed to withdraw away from our dimension completely as the materia orbs were no longer strong enough to hold their presence. The hero's had nothing to combat the demon with except brute strength. They bravely rebelled against her but unfortunately it was at the cost of nearly the whole entire planet. Everything was destroyed except for small contingents of people at odd areas of the planet. Slowly the world rebuilt itself however nearly everything of the past world was lost. People slowly rebuilt, meanwhile Jenova was still not beaten. There has been much speculation as to when it actually occurred but soon magic resurfaced in the lands. Of course it didn't come back in the abundance that used to flow throughout the planet before. It simply came in small sparks and for some reason humans could no longer use magic in the same way they used to. Luckily GF's returned to our dimension at around the same time, perhaps drawn by the magic. However they were no longer contained by human restraints but now roam freely across the lands. The only way they will aid humans now is if we prove ourselves worthy of their aid. Those who were able to pull this off learned that they could retain only a specific amount of magic but a GF's help was required otherwise they could not carry it with them, only use the magic on the spot. There have been assumptions that it is due to the weakened state of the lifestream after the great war. Because of this, humans no longer had the required energy to retain the spells that they draw from these random magic streams. But again who can really tell."

All the seeds were now completely flabbergasted by what they were seeing. Irvine and Renix both were forced to turn away at some parts, too horrified to see the cruel reality as fate played itself out. 

"This is all nice and dandy but we're not here for a history lesson!" Squall seethed. "Just get to the damn point!"

"Surly you've all heard of the legend of Gustav, Kellinger and Merielus."

"Yeah." Squall said. "Merielus, the first Sorceress to ever be known and presumably the most powerful one ever to exist. Gustav was the great king who later turned tyrant and finally Kellinger was the loyal servant who rose up from his king and defeated his rule. I've heard the whole tale but it's mostly just legend. Every one knows Merielus wasn't a real Sorceress. The first Sorceress ever to exist was Hyne."

"If only that were true…" 

"What do you mean?"

"Merielus was the mother of Hyne. Not everyone knows this. It is a proven fact. You think because of that fact, people were somewhat hasty to make the assumption that by being her mother, she was also a Sorceress. Did you know that the origin of Merielus birth was never truly discovered? Merielus just suddenly came to be at the castle. No one knows how she got there or any of that."

"So what are you trying to say?"

"Jenova had been changing forms since the very beginning. At the start, she first impersonated one of the Ancients when she realized they posed too much of a threat for her. What makes you think she hasn't played the same trick on us humans?"

Squall was slightly flustered by the sudden realization. "So you're saying…"

"Yes… Merielus was jenova. She gained the love and trust of Kellinger to suit her evil desires then when the opportunity suited her, she betrayed him and sided with Gustav to finally retake her thrown. Had things not taken the path they did, it is quite possible Kellinger may have not even died in his final battle against Gustav. As it was, after the war, Merielus seemed to simply disappear. However, not before she left her mark on the world. Hyne was the prodigy of the union between Merielus and Kellinger. Hyne was the first Sorceress to struggle against Jenova's influence but still her presence was always there. Her presence will eternally exist in the bodies of all Sorceresses until the day she can rise once again and retake her rightful thrown!"

Irvine snapped his fingers in astonishment. "So that's why the Sorceresses where always amassing great armies. They were all following the will of Jenova's master plan!"

"Exactly! Even after all of this time, Jenova still has not given up."

Squall frowned. "So what does any of this have to do with Zeilak? He's not a Sorceress! What's his purpose in all of this?"

"Unfortunately the truth of the matter is not so graceful. Zeilak is in fact a Demon Warlock! The first of his kind and far more powerful then any Sorceress you could possibly imagine! Demon Warlocks could be compared to Sorcerers except that they are of such greater power that they are in an entirely different class all together. The amount of power he could generate is completely off the scale of anything we've ever seen before. However his origin is still a mystery. All we are aware of is that, like Ultimecia, he too has come from the future. That and also a more disturbing revelation is that he bears the same evil as Jenova."

"So you're saying he could be Jenova in another disguise then?" Squall asked inquisitively. 

"We are not sure if that is the case, however we do know that their intentions are the same. And that alone is cause enough for our concern."

Suddenly the surrounding area shifted once more back into the familiar blue room with the bright pillars of light. Each of the seeds blinked their eyes, trying to readjust them to the lighting of the room.

"And that… my friends, is why we elders need you help."

Squall said nothing but lowered his head in thought. The sights he had seen had disturbed him greatly. The fact that Zeilak was more powerful then even the destructive force he had just witnessed was even more troubling. Squall was in a jam. He knew what had to be done yet at the same time, he wanted to protect Rinoa now more then ever. 

"We know you are still concerned for your friends safety Lionhart but please think on the bigger scale. If nothing is done to stop Zeilak then their deaths will be inevitable…"

Squall turned his head to see his companions has equally conflicting emotions splayed on their faces. 

Squall raised his eyes towards his friends with a concerned expression on his face, a rare occurrence for the young seed commander. 

Irvine knew exactly what was going on in the young leader's eyes and he knew perfectly well what he was silently requesting of them. Irvine nodded his head in agreement and saw that Renix was doing the same.

A slight, dreadful smile creased Squall's lips as he slowly turned back towards the Elder.

"There really isn't any choice in the matter, is there?" He asked.

The elder slowly shook his hooded head. "No my friend, there isn't.

"I see…" Squall let a small sigh escape him then raised his head high as he faced the Council of Shumi Elders. "On behalf of my Companions, I Squall Lionhart accept your offer! I pledge to do my best to stop Zeilak in his plans no matter what!"

__

::::::::::To Be Continued::::::::::

**__**

Author's note: _Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for chapter 17._


	18. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 17)

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters, places and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of it. This fanfic is purely for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I make no money from it. 

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 17

Rinoa Heatilly let a small sigh escape her lips as she finished zipping up her containment suit. She could barely control the butterflies that relentlessly attacked her insides. Constantly she told herself not to get her hopes up, to not foolishly believe in something that could just as easily break her heart, to not bear her soul only to have it fractured once more. She had told herself this a million times yet still she was failing miserably. 

She lifted her Esther protection helmet and was just setting it atop her head when the door hissed open. 

"Hey!" Came a cheerful voice from the other end. 

"Hi Laguna." She replied flatly then returned her attention towards figuring out how to correctly line up her helmets safety locks with the collar of her suit. 

"What's wrong?" the elderly man asked making his way towards her. 

"You're asking 'me' what's wrong? After 'everything' that's happened?" Rinoa was more then a little annoyed.

"Hmm, you've got a point there. I guess what I'm trying to ask is why are you still so down in the dumps? We're on a rescue mission to save your husband. I'd have thought you would be more animate then this?"

"Well excuse my Mr. Psychiatrist if I'm not jumping in circular loops for you right now ok?!? Look I'm kinda pressed right now so can you just leave me be?"

To emphasis her point, the raven-haired woman turned her back towards him, still clumsily trying to place her helmet correctly.

Laguna let out a heavy sigh. "Look I know this is hard on you. It's hard on everyone believe me but the best think we can do right now is have faith."

"Faith???" This made Rinoa turn around so fast her helmet dropped listlessly to the ground. Laguna winced at the loud sound the helmet made on impact but also at the ferociousness of Rinoa's voice. 

"In the last few weeks I've lost my father, the home I've grown up in has been burned to the ground, the world's falling apart, my best friend has been in a coma and I've had to cope with losing the one man I loved more than anything else in the whole world and your telling me to have faith???"

Laguna scratched the back of his head nervously. "Maybe we should talk about this. I lost my wife 20 years ago did you know that?"

"Yes! I've heard the whole story a dozen times from Squall and Ellone! You of all people should understand what I'm going through right now!"

"I do! Believe me, I know exactly what you're going through, probably more then anyone else around. But can't you see? That's why I'm trying so hard to reach out to you! Because I'm going through the same thing you are right now! You may not know this but Squall mean's a lot to me also! I'm grieving just as much as you are but instead of just giving up, I'm being confident! I have 'hope' that Squall is still alive! I believe it from the very bottom of my heart Rinoa and I will 'not' give up on him! Not now, not ever!"

For the first time, Rinoa found that she was utterly speechless in front of the man whom she had been close to hating only seconds before. She simply stared with wide eyes at the man as he continued to look directly into her soul with his penetrating, dark brown irises. 

"What…What do you mean?" She finally managed out of her trembling lips. 

Laguna suddenly took on his, all too familiar, friendly nature and raised his eyebrows dumbly at her. 

"Huh?"

"What you just said. What did you mean by that?"

"By what?"

"You know! What you said about Squall meaning a lot to you. What are you talking about?"

Yet again, Rinoa received an unexpected shock. Instead of receiving a straight answer like she thought she would, she saw the most uncharacteristic look she had ever seen reach up to Laguna's face. _'Was that just,… sadness?'_ Yet in another second it was gone and Laguna was smiling brightly once again. 

"Don't worry about that right now." He said comfortingly. "Too much information in such a short time can have a very negative affect on the mind ya know? And just before a rescue mission too! Tch, tch, tch. Just know and understand that we 'will' find Squall and everything will be 'ok'. Trust me and have confidence ok?"

Rinoa sighed, realizing that, like it or not, she wasn't going to get a straight answer out of him regarding that particular topic for quite some time. "Fine Laguna, it's a deal. So when do we leave anyway?"

"You've got half an hour still. Don't worry, things are going to come into focus real soon. You'll see." 

Rinoa simply nodded then stooped low to retrieve her helmet. Laguna silently walked up to her as she once again, tried to put the massive thing over he head. 

"Here." Laguna said patiently. "It goes like this…"

Within seconds the helmet clicked and was securely fastened atop Rinoa's head. 

"See?" the dark haired man said brightly. "That wasn't so bad now was it?"

Rinoa gave a quick shake of the head then waved her hand. "Thanks Laguna. I'd really like some time to myself right now though. I'll see you in half an hour ok?"

"Sure!" He said enthusiastically. "Half an hour, not a second later. We'll be leaving out of the B1 loading dock so make sure you find you way there."

"Thanks. Bye."

"Bye." The President of Esther said before disappearing out of the room.

Rinoa sighed and sat down. No matter what anyone said, she still couldn't eliminate the cold lump of dread that had securely fastened itself over her heart.

****

Quistis Trepe ran her fingers quickly across the keyboard in the lookout room overseeing the B1 loading dock. She had been typing furiously for the past 4 hours, desperately trying to get the exact schematics for the layouts of the lower Garden area. There were some old blueprints hidden away in the Estherian files yet they were all spread out and it was like searching for a needle in a haystack. 

Suddenly the door to the room hissed open, breaking her concentration. She quickly turned around to see who it was. The door was silhouetted by a man with a tall and slightly muscular frame. He evenly walked up to her and Quistis had to bite her lower lip to prevent the gasp that threatened to erupt from her lips. _'He's gorgeous!'_

Standing by at least 6'4 the man had broad shoulders and a lengthy yet muscular physic. His dark brown hair was slicked back with a few strands falling into the front. He was wearing the standard issue Estherian military uniform with a few extra encasements of armor at his shoulders, chest and attached to his boots. His eyes were sea blue and for a moment Quistis thought she would melt in them. 

"Ahem!" He said, bringing her back to reality. "Sorry to bother you Instructor Trepe but I've been assigned to aid you in the mission task."

"It's not a problem really." Quistis said trying not to sound too relieved. "Truth be told, I was about ready to crack as it is. Finding all of the blueprints for the Garden is turning out harder then I expected."

"Finding?" The man asked quizzically. "But doesn't Esther already have saved blueprints for the Garden posted up already?"

"Yes they have them for 'A' Garden but not 'this' Garden. For some reason this one was special. All the separate design blueprints are not only extremely large but also extremely spread out. It's nearly impossible to find them all."

"Hmm, nothings impossible if you put your mind to it." He said encouragingly. 

Quistis once again had to struggle to contain her emotions as she bit back a smile. _'I could really get used to this guy.' _She told herself mentally.

"You know, I never caught your name." She said conversationally. 

"Captain John Mauver. You can just call me John."

This time she didn't stop the smile that rose up to her face. "Only if you call me Quistis instead of all that Instructor garbage." 

John let out a small chuckle at this. "Heh, well then it's a pleasure to meet you Quistis. I've only got one more question though."

"And that is?"

"Why are you the one doing this? I mean Yeah your working nav for the rescue team but it would make more sense to me if Laguna had requested that Intel go through all the digging for the blueprints by now."

"He did." Quistis said grinning slightly. "But they couldn't do anything because there was a security lock on Balamb Garden's access files. It couldn't be opened without a registered Official of Balamb Garden. Because neither Selphie, Rinoa or Zell knew the code, they had no choice but to ask me."

John rubbed his chin in wonder. "I see. So is it open to explore now?"

"Explore all you want." Quistis said, waving her hand towards the adjoining computer terminal. "All access routes are open and I could use all the help I can get."

"Great!" John said, taking the seat next to her. "I may not look the part, but I'm a pretty decent hacker when it comes to finding hidden files."

A small laugh escaped Quistis lips as she turned her attention back to her terminal screen. _'I definitely like this guy!'_

****

"Ouch! Not so tight!" Zell warned as his wife redid the wrappings on his injured knuckles. 

Sarah merely chuckled at her husband's antics. "Oh stop being such a baby Zell! It's not going to kill you." She said as she unwrapped his arm then wrapped it again lighter.

"It might!" Zell challenged with an amused smile. "Death by suffocation."

"On your hand?"

"Why not?" Zell laughed. "I use them to eat hotdogs and if they're wrapped too tight I might suffocate myself trying to get the hotdogs down my throat."

Sarah laughed merrily then rubbed her swelling belly. Zell's eyes turned towards her mid-section and a smile came to his lips. "How's our little camper doing in there?" He asked gently.

Sarah raised her eyes lovingly towards her husband. "He misses his daddy's touch."

Zell's eyes locked with hers as he gently caressed her belly. "I missed him too. I missed both of you."

She cast her husband a worried glance. "Are you positive you still want to go on this rescue mission with Laguna? I hear it's dangerous down there."

Zell's brow furrowed slightly. "You already know the answer to that. Squall is the closest thing I've ever had to a brother. I won't just abandon him when he needs me the most."

Slowly tears started to slide down her eyes. "…I know Zell but… promise me… promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you'll never leave me like you did before. I couldn't go through that again. I was so afraid…"

"I know honey and I'm sorry you had to go through that." Zell said with loving passion in his voice. "I'll never leave you again. I promise." 

Slowly his lips met hers and they were locked in a passionate embrace as they held each other lovingly. 

****

Time passed quickly and within no time at all, the rescue group was all assembled on the lower levels at the B1 loading dock. A huge makeshift connecting ramp had been hastily but also securely connected to the center of the massive garden. The area had been drilled and blasted open with the finest in Estherian explosives making a direct entrance to the lower levels of Balamb Garden possible. 

Zell whistled at all the huge connection cables linking the two areas together. "They sure did a number on our home huh?" He said surveying the burnt and mulled exterior of the Garden ahead. Even though the giant ship was so big they only caught a glimpse at this direct portion of its hull, it was still in bad enough shape that it made the young seed burn with anger at how much damage the Galbadian soldiers had already caused them.

"When I get my hands on those bastards…" he said in fury clenching his injured fists, albeit carefully. 

Laguna placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Easy, save the revenge for later sport. Right now we've got more important things to worry about."

"Yeah your right. It's just that, looking at what they've done and all we've lost, it makes my blood boil."

"I understand but right now a cool head is needed more then a hot temper right?"

"Yeah, no sense in wasting my energy when there aren't any enemies around to beat up."

"Exactly." Laguna chuckled. He caught sight of Rinoa out of the corner of his eyes then gently turned towards her. 

"Hey there. You've been quiet the whole time. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Rinoa trained her eyes on him and the look she wore almost broke the man's heart. After a few tense moments she finally responded. 

"I have to do this… If I don't I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Laguna nodded solemnly. 

"So I guess Selphie's not coming…" Zell said in a slightly dejected voice. This brought even more pain into Laguna's heart. He had been the one to approach the young girl about the proposition but if Rinoa was going through hard times, then the young festival girl was going through hell. Shortly after the Battle, Selphie had been dejected and moody. When the man had approached her she had warded it off as if it were trivial but he could see the pain evident in her face. He knew the truth. She was scared. Too scared of what she would find so therefore she had thrown him the cover that she needed to keep the remaining Balamb seeds in check while they took care of the situation at hand. 

Laguna had let her off after she told him she was confident they would return victorious but he knew she was going through a lot. No longer was she the cheery, overactive young girl he had known three years hence. Now she was just a withdrawn shadow with a mind set only for the preservation of her comrades. 

Laguna let out a sigh then straightened his containment suit as the two other Estherian soldiers came up to assist them in their search. 

"I apologize for the delay Mr. President." One of the soldiers said, offering a salute. "Just making sure everything's in order and double checked."

"No worries." Laguna said mildly. "So are we ready to begin?"

"We've got a green light sir. We may proceed when ready."

A slight smile appeared on the Presidents face. Finally they could begin. He would find Squall and everything would be alright. "Let's get this show on the road then!" He said directing his arm towards the opening in the ship. 

Together they all stepped forward and carefully entered into the burnt, charred remains of Balamb Garden. 

"Quistis are you with me, over." Laguna asked through the communications device built into the side of his helmet.

"I read you loud and clear." Came the blond's muffled reply through his receiver.

"Alright give us a situation report. What's our current position?"

"Right now you're about 6 klicks away from the main entrance hall to the Garden. You're going to need to go east for about 3 klicks. Be careful because the footing is pretty bad halfway through. Once there, you should be cut off by a wall and another path should veer right. Assuming the structure held in place through the attack."

"Let's hope so. What else?"

"Once you've taken the new path it should lead directly to the area beneath the main entrance. Once you get there be very careful. Multiple fractures in the lower level may prevent access but if you're careful enough you should find a ground latch leading to an even lower level. If you take that it will lead all the way to the area directly below the bridge. I guess the designers were pretty crafty in doing that. Whatever the reasons, the area below the bridge is pretty big surprisingly. If all goes according to planned, you should have an easy time locating Squall and any other survivors there and getting them out."

"Ok, understood. Well let's cross our fingers and hope this works." Laguna said then took a tentative step forwards. The search had begun.

****

Rhazenak lowered his head in a bow of respect while kneeling before his emperor. As always the area was dark. Huge pillars surrounded the throne room. The only light traveling into the area was from the few candles set atop the deus in which the throne seat rested. The lights reflected off of dark armor making the emperor appear even more menacing if such a thing were possible. Rhazenak found his hands were trembling like always whenever he was in the presence of this man. Zeilak commanded fear and obedience from his servants. He fed off of the power it inflicted upon all before him and he basked in its magnificence. The scent of molten wax and flame were the predominant scents of the room like always. It seemed Zeilak had a fetish for that particular atmosphere. Rhazenak would not be one to make that assumption boldly however. He knew better then to make any accusations of this man lest he lose his head. 

"What have you to report my Sorcerer?" Zeilak asked in an ominous voice that reverberated throughout the giant room creating even more echo's. Once again Rhazenak shivered at the malice and dominance integrated in that powerful voice. He could almost taste the raw power issuing forth even if he was only speaking. 

"My Emperor" Rhazenak began in a calm and controlled voice. Over the years Zeilak had fashioned him well. Even though he was terrified by the man, Rhazenak had trained well enough to hide such emotions before his emperor. He had learned to control those emotions and to lock them away as was his philosophy that all emotions were pointless and a hindrance to greater untapped potential.

The hand resting on his knee clenched slightly as he continued. "My Emperor I am sorry to report that our forces assigned to the annihilation of Balamb Garden have failed. They were utterly wiped out."

The room became deftly silent and Rhazenak found that he was becoming more and more tense with the passing of each second. Rhazenak did his best to repel the aching sensation of fear that continued to assault him. Zeilak's wrath knew no bounds and he was unsure of how this news would affect his Emperor. Thus he continued to wait, beads of sweat beginning to form at his temples.

"How were they destroyed?" The Emperor finally spoke in a smooth and controlled voice.

Rhazenak almost let out a sigh of relief but held it for fear of annoying Zeilak. "I am not all together sure but I've received rumors that in the last minutes they were aided by the help of the Estherian army."

"I am not surprised. I should have targeted more firepower to that disreputable country. They are becoming quite the hindrance to my plans."

"Shall I lead an assault my liege?"

"No not yet. Let them have their way for now. It is truly of little difference to me. Right now I will waste no more of my resources on exterminating those measly seeds. They are injured enough and I am sure they are licking their wounds."

"Sire, what do you have in mind?"

"For now we will continue to build our empire here in Galbadia. Besides, we will need time to fashion our new warrior correctly."

A slight frown of disgust assaulted Rhazenak's expression and he did his best to hide the malice in his voice when he responded. "You mean that traitor seed? My Emperor please tell me. Why do we need such a lowly whelp? He is of no value to us, he couldn't even defeat Squall Lionhart. He's utterly useless!"

"Do you question my decisions Rhazenak? Do you 'dare' doubt 'me'?!?"

Rhazenak quickly bowed his head once more and clutched his fist to his chest in salute. "No Sire of course not. Never. I just wonder on the man's capacity to serve us. He may still bear ties to his former comrades."

Suddenly the air became engulfed in loud cruel laughter and Rhazenak had to do his best to not cover his ears. The sound was horrible and evil. He could feel the vestiges of his heart tearing asunder as the awful sound continued. 

"Do not concern yourself with our new addition. I can assure you when I am done with him, his 'loyalties' will be to me and me alone. He will pledge ultimate fealty to my rule. In this, you can be certain."

"Very well my liege. It is, of course, your decision."

"Correct. Be careful next time on how you address my plan's Rhazenak. This has been the second time I have detected a note of defiance in you. If you do not take care to fastened your tongue as well as your stray thoughts I may be forced to execute you. Remember your place!"

"Yes of course Sire. I shall not forget."

"It would serve you well not to. Now, as for your orders. I want you to round up all remaining Galbadian soldiers still loyal to Caraway. If they prove to be too persistent against our special 'influence' then dispose of them. Once all new recruits are aligned, see to it that they are properly trained and that all is in order. Once you are done with that, I want you then to investigate more information on the Lunatic Pandora. I will not lose that prize to Esther."

"As you wish sire."

As the dark cloaked man left his emperor's chambers, all returned to silence in the dark realms of the throne room leaving Zeilak to plot more destruction and annihilation for the world to bear.

****

Laguna nearly stumbled to his knees in exhaustion. The excavation group had been traveling for nearly eight hours now and the trip was taking its toll on the entire team. 

Rinoa rushed immediately to Laguna's side and helpfully propped him up. "Laguna? Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine." The Estherian President replied, giving her a weak smile. "I appreciate the concern but I'm quite alright. Just kind'a tired but I'll live."

"We're all tired man." Zell said a few feet away. "Just hang in there and we'll make it."

"Lt. Jameson, how much further till we reach the designated area."

One of the two Estherian soldiers stepped forward giving the president a crisp salute. "Sir, not much further now. A few yards at most. We should expect to see a huge tunnel then further down, a locked door barring the entrance to the area directly below the bridge."

"Sheesh you've been saying that for hours now!" The President whined. "Ever since we took that lower tunnel from the area below the main hall, we've been walking down this narrow tunnel for what seems like ages."

"That is odd." Added Rinoa. "Had we not had outside information, this tunnel looks like it could go on forever…"

Zell lightly touched her shoulder. "You're saying you think Squall and the others could have possibly come this way?"

Rinoa lowered her head slightly, a dejected frown forming on her face. "It's possible…" She said softly.

"Let's not give up hope just yet!" Laguna said walking forward once more. "We've still got quite a ways to go." 

Without another word, the elderly man quickly sped up his pace walking quickly down the corridor and surprising them all.

"Wow…" Zell said in awe. "Just a minute ago that guy was lurching over in exhaustion and now he's moving like a speeding bullet. Gotta admire his tenacity."

"That's our President for you!" One of the Soldier's said, smiling proudly.

"Let's just catch up with him already!" Rinoa said then rushed off.

"Sheesh!" Zell commented after her. "Now she's the one speed walking. Must be something in the air down here or something?"

The other two soldiers merely shrugged and so the three of them resumed their trek albeit at a lower speed.

"Laguna wait up!" Rinoa heaved, catching up with him at the front of the group. 

"Oh I'm sorry. Am I moving too fast for you Rinoa?"

The woman simply shot him a meaningful glare which spoke louder then words.

"Ooook forget I asked."

Laguna lowered his pace slightly and the two of them continued to walk in silence. Laguna shifted nervously after a few minutes, not entirely sure why Rinoa had insisted upon walking with him.

Rinoa noticed his tension and sighed heavily. "So are you ever going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Laguna asked trying to play stupid.

"Enough games already Laguna. You know damn well what I'm talking about!"

Now it was Laguna's time to sigh. "I guess it's useless to try and avoid it huh?"

"If you don't tell me, it's only going to get worse for you."

Laguna chuckled slightly at this. "Yeah I noticed…"

"So… What are you waiting for?"

Another sigh escaped the man's lips.

"Squall and I have a rather… unique relationship."

Rinoa raised an eyebrow making a funny expression. "Unique?"

"Don't give me that look! I'm not talking about anything like that! Sheesh young people today!"

Rinoa's face quickly became flustered. "Stop beating around the bush and just spit it out already!"

"I suppose you may hate me for this. I'm sure Squall will when I tell him. I've been trying to avoid it for so long… but I guess that only makes it worse huh?"

"Laguna…"

"Rinoa… I'm Squall's father."

In that instant Rinoa's world stopped. She nearly dropped her supply pack in shock as she simply stared at the elder man with wide eyes.

Laguna squirmed under the young woman's intense gaze. 

"Y…you're what?"

"Yeah I know this is a surprise to you. Hell, it will be a hell of a surprise to Squall when I tell him."

Quickly Rinoa's expression darkened and she glared at the President with angry eyes. "So you mean to tell me you've known all this time and you never once told Squall any of it?"

"…I… Rinoa…"

"What kind of a father are you? I may not have appreciated my father all the time while I was growing up but at least I knew who he was and I knew he cared for me! At least I had the comfort of knowing someone loved me!"

"…I… You're right. There's nothing I can say but that I am sorry."

Rinoa still looked at him in shock. Still glared at him angrily. "Where have you been all this time? Why didn't you ever once attempt to find your son? Didn't you care for him at all?"

"YES!" The man nearly exploded at her. "Of course I cared about him! He's my 'son' for crying out loud! I've always cared about him! I've always wanted to find him, to see what kind of a man he was becoming! But I was denied that privilege…"

"Denied? What do you mean?"

"I mean when I came to Esther. During the time… the time Raine… you know… anyway during that time, I was in Esther trying to liberate the country from Adel's rule. I don't know, I guess I was trying to do what was right. I couldn't just sit by and watch people idly suffer before my very eyes and do nothing about it. When I finally discovered what had happened to my wife, it had to have been about two years after the war. I had been made President of Esther. Responsibilities fell on my shoulders. I had no real choice really. At any rate, they had told me it was through childbirth. Immediately I asked where my child was and if he survived. They could give me no answer. I tried searching around, looking for any sign. After a while, I guess I simply gave up looking. I had assumed he had died along with his mother or at best, he was somewhere were I would never find him. At the time many important things were going on. The preservation of peace and tranquility was threatened in Esther and I was told only I could rectify it."

The man sighed once more as he finished his story. This time the sigh was such that it seemed as if his very essence were sucked away with his breath. He sighed sagely, staring at Rinoa with broken eyes. 

"I know any excuse I could give is not sufficient. The fact still remains that I've abandoned my son. Three years before I officially met you all, I learned that my son did in fact exist from information I received from Ellone. I was elated of course but at the same time ashamed. How could a man face his own son and tell him he had neglected him because he simply gave up on him? How do you think that would have made him feel? I figured my son would be better off simply not knowing and perhaps in the end he would lead a much happier life if I just stayed out of the picture."

"Laguna…" The name drifted softly from Rinoa's lips filled with emotion. No longer did she glare at the man with angry eyes but looked into his deep brown irises with sympathy and sorrow. 

"I've ruined enough lives already." The man continued. "Squall doesn't need me…"

"Yes he does…" Rinoa interjected softly then increased the intensity of her voice. "Yes he does! Squall needs his father. He needs to know. I've been married to him for three years! Believe me I know! I've heard the stories he's told me! He may not act it and he will certainly be mad but he at least deserves the right to know! Don't you think so?"

Laguna swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded softly. "You're right…"

"Good!" Rinoa said firmly. "Because when we find him, you'll tell him everything won't you? You will tell him all that you've told me and everything will be ok!"

Laguna's eyes widened in shock, realizing what she was saying. "Rinoa… you mean…You finally agree with me?"

"I won't give up on Squall! You've helped me realize just how foolish I was acting. If there's even a slight chance that my husband may still be alive I will not deny him! We haven't found a body which means there's still hope!"

A smile quickly formed on Laguna's face. "That's the spirit Rinoa THAT'S THE SPIRIT!"

A determined smiled formed on the young woman's face. "Let's find my husband and then get the hell out of here!"

"You got it!" Laguna said proudly, once again resuming his pace.

For the first time in a long time Rinoa realized she was happy. She was feeling better and more secure in the knowledge that somewhere there was still a chance her husband was safe. _'Please don't let us down Squall.'_ She said to herself mentally. _'Now you can't die! Too many people are depending on you! Please… hang on my love…'_

__

::::::::::To Be Continued::::::::::

**__**

Author's note: Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for chapter 18.


	19. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 18)

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters, places and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of it. This fanfic is purely for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I make no money from it. 

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 18

Eyes speak louder then words

Beads of sweat washed down Squall's face as he ducked low from an overhead strike. His opponent, an advanced Shumi of immense skill, lurched back and took up his battle stance yet again. Squall sighed inwardly. They had been practicing together for nearly 20 hours now. Squall was not going to deny he appreciated being able to train extensively again as there was little time to do such things while he was the leader of Garden but he had to protest that this was heading across the lines of going overboard. 

They were currently fighting in a fully simulated forest inside the Shumi training facility. Not only did they have to contend with each other but they also had to dodge the different trees and bushes and other obstacles that managed to get in their way. 

The Shumi he fought now was one which he had never seen before. The man was extremely tall and lengthy with furry forearms and similarly furry legs. He looked as if her were a half breed between a moomba and a Shumi. His long reddish, gold hair was tailored in a spiky fashion which leaned in a backwards motion and was positioned with a white headband. He also had spiky dark face paint on the sides of his face. He sported long sharp ears yet other then that, his face was relatively human looking. He wore baggy, dark brown pants and a loose sleeveless shirt. Like Squall, this Shumi also fought with a gunblade, yet his had an added feature to it. It glowed with radiating power, unlike the one Squall now wielded which was simply his standard issue weapon of choice. 

The Shumi noticed Squall's increasing fatigue and relaxed his muscles a bit. "How about we take a break huh?" The Shumi offered gently.

Squall had to hold back from nodding too fast as he bobbed his head in agreement. He must have failed terrible as his Shumi opponent chuckled mirthfully by his response.

"I hope I do not offend you when I say you have a long way to go before you reach your highest potential."

Squall, uncharacteristically, chuckled a bit at his response. "No I take no offense by it. To tell you the truth, I should be thankful for this. You don't get much time to exercise when you're the head general of Garden."

"I understand. But I sense something else is holding you back. I noticed it in your fighting stance and posture. You can do more then you have done so far. Why do you resist."

Squall reluctantly took a step back then sat down on a nearby log. "It's nothing." He replied finally. 

This brought a throaty laugh from the more experienced Shumi fighter. "Ha, now you are lying. Lionhart, you profess to be at ease with your inner self yet when I look into your eyes I can see conflicting emotions. What is it you keep hidden away that is so secretive that you cannot tell me?"

Squall became increasingly annoyed with the Shumi's questions. "Look, my problems are my own ok? It's none of your business."

"Ahh but it is my business if it effects your fighting ability in the way that it does. For you will never reach your maximum potential if your mind has yet to be purified."

A slight frown creased on Squall's brow. "Whatever…" 

The Shumi sighed heavily. "Well you may do what you like Lionhart but I must warn you that you will regret it when the final battle comes. For you will not have the skill to fight Zeilak and then you will die painfully as he has proclaimed it. Then once you are finished, he will have no problems with finishing the rest of your friends off."

The dark haired seed general turned his head away stubbornly. He didn't like talking about his problems, he never did. It was one of the few negative qualities that remained with him from his former days of solitude. 

Squall finally heaved a sigh of annoyance. "It's personal… Something those Shumi elders of yours obviously didn't seem to care about."

This issued a chuckle from his opponent who had previously been wearing quite a serious expression. "Ohhh… Now I understand!"

This only made Squall angrier. "What's so funny?"

The Shumi fighter could not stop laughing now. "I apologize but your reaction is so typical of humans! Sir Laguna used to wear almost the exact same expression as a matter of fact!"

Squall was now fed up. "I don't have time for this! Let's just get back to the training."

This time the Shumi was now greatly calming down. "No, no. I apologize for my unbecoming behavior. I was merely reliving the past that's all. As far as your problems are concerned, I can guess at what you are worried about and I offer you my deepest apologies but you really have no other choices in the matter."

"Supposedly!" Squall interjected vehemently. 

The Shumi fighter rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I take it you do not appreciate our elders much."

Squall shot him a sarcastic look. "How did you guess."

"You miss you wife greatly do you not? It must truly be tearing you up inside."

"What would you know about it?" Squall spat angrily. "You people seem to be pretty immune to my feelings from what I've seen so far."

"The elders perhaps but not all Shumi should be judged by the actions of the few."

"But I can't just abandon my former responsibilities just because some Shumi's decide that they need my help! How do you think it makes me feel when I look back on the decisions I made?"

The Shumi fighter sighed heavily and sat down on an adjoining rock across from the Seed. "I would assume you are feeling… guilty, empty inside, a feeling of absence, as if something is missing within you. A void that can never be filled until you find your missing piece sorta speak. You feel as if your life is meaningless and that you should be slain a thousand times for your decision even when everyone else says you made the right choice. They may even hail you for it."

Squall said nothing but simply continued to stare intently at the shumi, urging him to finish. 

The fighter let another sigh escape his breath before continuing. "I know these emotions clearly Lionhart. I know them all to well… you see I too once faced what you now find yourself going through. 30 years ago war broke out in the Shumi realm. It was during the Reign of Adel as you are aware was an evil demon. We fell under massive assault. We had reached a dead end in our temple and my consort and I were amongst the few protecting our people from Adel's clutches. There was only one option left to us. As I and a few other warriors were fighting for dear life holding Adel's minions off and buying our people time, my consort was leading our people through the lower levels of the catacombs. When we finally converged it was then that I had learned my beloved had discovered a detonation switch. The switch would eliminate all enemies in the lower levels but someone had to do it from the upper levels and the lower levels. My consort was already at the lower levels holding them off. I was the only one who could reach the attic of our temple and fight through the enemies there long enough to throw the switch at the same time she did. I didn't want to do it, I cried I would die a thousand deaths before I would take her life. But in the end, for the betterment of our people, I did what I was obligated to do." 

Tears of pain and regret were now spilling down the shumi's eyes, softening Squall's heart. 

"She was dying you see? The enemy were breaking through the last defenses guarding our people. They were killing her in the lower levels… KILLING HER! She begged me to end the pain… she begged me to end… her life. I too was severely injured, I was on the last rope, I wanted to die after what I did. I wanted to jump into the fire with her when I heard her last scream or tortured pain. I wanted to feel that pain instead of her, for I deserved it more for what I did. Not a day goes by that I don't regret what I did…"

Now the shumi raised his face and stared intently into Squall's sorrowful eyes. "But do you know what Squall? Had I not done what I did, my people would have died, hundreds of our young would have been brutally slaughtered and our people would be extinct. Adel would spare no one in her reign of death. Now, I'm not telling you to make that kind of Sacrifice Lionhart! I'm not asking you to kill your lover! All I am asking you is to be aware of the consequences of your actions. Now is not the time to think selfishly. You must think for the better glory of the world. I must live everyday with the weight that I will never see my wife again. That is the burden I must bear to atone for my sins. You on the other hand still have a chance. You can still see your wife and friends when this conflict is over. You're only sacrifice is in letting them act independently without you. Think of what I must go through and then remember your position then ask yourself… Is it really all that bad? Would you really sacrifice a few months for the sake of humanity?"

Finally Squall raised his eyes, meeting those of his Shumi sparring partner and the determination in his eyes was almost frightening. "For my wife…" He began. "I would sacrifice the entire Universe… But if what you say is true then the best way I can protect her is by killing Zeilak. I can't do it alone, I realize that, and that's why I need your help."

"So you're saying you accept our pledge?"

"I am saying you were right as far as thinking selflessly. I will do what needs to be done. I was wrong to mope about things I cannot change. I will fight this war you speak of. I will fight it and I will kill Zeilak, however you cannot deny me my right to see my wife. Yes I will help you in this war but when the time comes that my wife needs me, you better be prepared to know that I will go to her, no matter what! That is my obligation and the consequences I receive for those actions will be 'my' burden to bear!"

****

"Are we there yet!" Cried Zell from the back of the group. 

Everyone was exhausted by now. They had been traveling for hours now and still they had not reached the end of the tunnel. 

"What's going on Laguna?" Rinoa asked with a touch of annoyance in her voice. "I thought you said we'd reach the lower levels below the bridge three hours before now?"

"Yeah that's what I said, however what I see is a completely different story."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Zell shot out, beginning to grow agitated. 

Rinoa sighed heavily and placed a claming hand on the young man's shoulder. "Calm down Zell. What he mean's is that we're lost."

"No!" Laguna blurted quickly. "That can't be right! We followed the layouts completely."

The aging man quickly tapped the switch next to his helmet connecting him with the outside connection. "Quistis, this is Laguna over! Quistis do you copy?"

Zell, Rinoa and the other two Estherian guards waited patiently for his answer. After a few moments, Laguna lowered his arm slowly and brought his hand away from the communication device on his helmet. He looked up towards his companions regrettably. "There's too much static. I can't get through. It looks like we're on our own."

"There's gotta be something we can do!" Zell said enthusiastically. 

Laguna turned to one of his Estherian guards. "Lt. you're pretty good with tactics and analysis as well as map layouts. What do you think? What are our options in this kind of situation?"

The man saluted smartly. "Sir, in these kinds of situations we have one of two options. We could either back track until communication is clear enough to resume reliable radio contact or we can continue further blindly until we find something familiar on our own."

  
"Gee that's great logic there!" Zell said sarcastically. "I could have surmised that much!"

Look I don't think it's such a good idea that we back track." Rinoa replied. "I don't know about the rest of you but I'm anxious to find Squall a.s.a.p."

"Same here!" Laguna agreed. "The rest of you head back, Rinoa and I will resume our search. If you find anything new, double back and tell us."

"Oh you two ain't hogg'in all the fun for yourselves!" Zell interjected. "I'm coming along too!"

"Are you sure?" Laguna asked. "It could just be a dead end we're walking into here. Or even worse, a trap."

"I'm prepared for the risks Laguna. You forget that these are my friends trapped down here!"

"Ok." Laguna complied. "Lt., you and the Sgt. Backtrack until radio contact is established. Once you've received confirmation, let us know via radio communication. It shouldn't be too hard to get clear reception if were all in the basic general vicinity."

"Yes sir!" The two men replied smartly then quickly ran down the opposite direction.

"Ok then folks." Laguna said, making his way forwards. "Let's get this show on the road." 

Together, the three rescuers continued to make their way down the slim dark corridor. As they walked further and further, however, they noticed the walls became more and more narrow. 

Zell looked carefully at his surroundings with every step. "This doesn't look too good guys." He said anxiously. He reached his hand out and carefully touched the wall. "If we go any further, we might end up having to squeeze our way through."

Rinoa nodded with Zell's observations. "He's got a point Laguna. What do you think? Should we backtrack?"

Laguna raised his head in thought. "I say we keep going. All we can do is go forward. When we get to the point that we're locking shoulders then we'll turn back. If Squall and the others are down this way I don't want to lose a moment."

"But we don't even know if we're going the right way!" Zell argued. "This whole trek could be for nothing."

"I agree with Zell." Rinoa said silently. "It wouldn't make any sense for Squall and the others to travel this way."

The middle-aged president of Esther closed his eyes carefully, thinking the issue over in his head. Rinoa and Zell watched him with careful eyes. 

Finally he breathed a sigh of defeat. "I guess the two of you have a point. You're both right. We should turn back. Maybe my men have discovered something."

Laguna turned to walk back and join the others when suddenly…

****

SHOOOOM

In a matter of seconds Laguna had placed his foot on the floor then quickly raised his arms in panic as his tall form quickly vanished beneath the very floorboards he was standing on. 

"$hit!" Zell hissed as he and Rinoa ran up to the hole where the president had fallen through. "Laguna!" Zell screamed, running up to the edge of the hole. "Laguna are you ok?"

"*cough* … Yeah… I'm ok, just shaken up a bit." Came the Estherian President's reply. 

"What happened?" Rinoa asked anxiously.

Her answer was met by a slightly suppressed chuckle. "Well I think it's pretty obvious what happened. I fell. Although I think yet again my clumsiness has opened up a new clue for us."

"What do you mean?" The dark haired woman asked curiously. 

"There's a path down here. Pretty dark and smells a bit but it's definitely a path. From the looks of it, I'd say it's a pretty new area too. I bet it didn't even show up on Quistis maps."

"We don't have time for this man!" Zell hissed. "Did you forget our plan? We should backtrack and get a situation report before investigating any further."

"I disagree." Rinoa countered.

"What? Aw come on Rinoa, we don't have time for these kinds of games."

"Look Zell, Laguna has no way of getting back up here unless we went back to get rope which could take hours. I say our best bet is to follow him down. We may even find a shortcut."

Zell grumbled his reply. "I guess you have a point there. I still have a bad feeling about this though."

"It can't be helped Zell." The young woman replied. "Now let's go."

Carefully the two made their way down into the lower depths of the structure. As soon as they dropped, their eyes met Laguna Leaning heavily against the side wall. 

"Are you alright?" Rinoa asked in a concerned voice.

"I'm fine." The man said in a strained, cheery voice. "Just taking a second to catch my breath that's all."

"This place is new!" Zell observed, looking around at the structure of it. 

"No time to sight see though." Laguna said pushing away from the wall. 

"Which way do we go?" Rinoa asked curiously. 

"Left. We keep going and we may reach some sort of a shortcut hopefully."

Once again the three set off again to find their missing compatriots. The walk seemed to drag on and on and soon they all began to grow even more weary as the realization and grief that this tunnel may never end began to sink into their conscience. 

"We're lost." Zell mumbled miserably. 

"No we're not Zell." Rinoa argued. "Just shut up and keep walking. We'll find our way out of here soon. Just have confidence."

"Hey what's that!" Laguna said pointing a few feet ahead of them. They all rushed up to see a huge bolder of mechanical wreckage blocking their path. 

"Looks like there was a cave-in here." Zell said, examining the damage.

"Guess that mean's we try the other way." Rinoa said turning slightly.

"No wait!" Laguna prompted. "I'm curious as to where this tunnel leads. Lets get this wreckage out of the way."

"That could take a while." Zell said wearily.

"Are you giving up so quickly Zell?"

The blond fighter cast an annoyed glance towards the President. "What do you mean?"

"Aren't you the 'strong man' of Balamb Garden? If legends are correct, you could move this wreckage easily."

Zell simply glared at the man. "I hate to break your bubble but legends are mostly fairy tales buddy. There's no way I could move all this."

"You never know until you try."

"Listen 'pops' I'm telling you there's no f#ckin way I'm moving that boulder on my own! I ain't strong enough!"

"Then I'll assist you."

The blond swung his head around to stare wide eyed at Rinoa. "But Rinoa… wouldn't that put a strain on your health? I heard about that battle over Balamb. You nearly died. I don't think you should be stressing yourself all over again."

"I'll take the risk!" She replied in a determined voice. 

"But Rinoa…"

"Zell! Please!" the woman interjected firmly.

The blond slowly lowered his head in defeat. "Fine."

Cracking his knuckles, Zell walked up to the boulder gripping both sides with all of his might. With a loud strained grunt, the martial artist yanked at the two ends of the wreck moving them ever so slightly. At the same time however, the walls began to give way even more, making his weight lighter. Zell stared wide-eyed then realized that Rinoa was aiding him with her sorceress powers. With a final yank, the martial artist hurled the wreckage a few feet away from them. 

Rinoa immediately slumped over to the ground. Zell rushed up to her. "Hey Rinoa are you alright? Come on don't faint on us now! I told you ya shouldn't have used your powers!"

Rinoa raised her weary eyes towards the anxious irises of her friend and smiled slightly. "Don't… worry Zell." She said in a quiet voice. "It was worth it."

Zell carefully helped her up to her feet and turned around to see Laguna hunched over the path they had just opened. The man's head seemed to hang with an uncertainly heavy burden.

"What's wrong?" Zell asked, fear seeping into his voice.

"Guys… this doesn't look too good." Laguna replied heavily. 

At this Rinoa opened her eyes wide and firmly pushed Zell's helpful hands away so that she could stand on her own two feet. "What have you found?" She asked carefully. 

"I don't know yet…" The President replied heavily. He began to stand up sagging his shoulders heavily. Zell and Rinoa carefully walked up to see what he had been staring at. Zell's eyes widened in shock. 

"I… is that blood?" Zell asked fearfully. 

Rinoa shook her head furiously, refusing to let any negative thoughts enter her mind. _'It can't be! It just can't be! Squall's alive! He has to be alive!'_

The woman quickly turned to face the two weary looking men. "This only means that we're on the right track! We haven't found any bodies yet right?"

Laguna took a few steps forward ahead of the rest of them nodding his head furiously. "Rinoa your absolutely right! We don't know unti-!" Suddenly his faced turned ashen white and he stumbled back a few steps. "Oh… Oh god no! This… No!"

Rinoa and Zell both responded immediately and rushed up next to him. "What is it?" Zell asked anxiously. Suddenly his face too became pale. Rinoa could feel her heart shatter into a million pieces. 

__

'No!' Her mind protested furiously. _'This can't be! No this can't be happening!'_ _This can't be happening!' _Yet her eyes proved her wrong. She couldn't deny the plain truth that revealed itself firmly before her. 

Laguna fell to his knees, the look on his face clearly revealing all the years and strains age could ever put on a man. Zell too seemed to slouch low looking older then he truly was. Rinoa couldn't stand it any further. 

"NO!" She screamed in anguished shock as tears burst from her eyes. She immediately embraced the blond haired man, burying her face in his shirt, denying the sight before her eyes, not wanting to look any more. Her feet became unsteady so that she leaned heavily on to the fighter for support. Grief stricken sobs escaped her lips as she lightly pound on the man's muscular chest. No further words could escape her lips for she was too caught up with trying to breathe through her cracking heart and her suffocating lungs. Zell too began to weep silent tears of relentless sorrow. 

It was the worst thing the three rescuers could ever saw in their lives, for none could deny reality any further as it reared it's cruel visage before them. Not a single one of them could refute the Stiff and dead bodies on the ground bearing the appearances of Squall, Irvine and Renix crushed and maimed by fallen wreckage. 

__

::::::::::To Be Continued::::::::::

**__**

Author's note: Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for chapter 19.


	20. Emperor of Darkness (ch. 19)

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 8 characters, places and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of it. This fanfic is purely for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself, I make no money from it.

****

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 19

****

Reconstruction and resolution

Deep below the recesses of the ice capped mountains, the five Shumi Elder's debate grew heated once more as they continued to discuss their plans for Squall and the others. 

"I still believe it was unnecessary for us to make those duplicates!" argued Celindros, the Shumi Elder of light.

"It was for the best interests of both parties." Refuted Argos the Head Shumi Elder of Fire. "It creates less complications this way."

"I agree." Complied Marcondus, the Shumi Elder of earth. "I believe the path will become more clear now that our chosen one has less baggage holding him down!" 

"That is outrageous!" Celindros yelled. "How can you be so emotionless? If we stoop to Zeilak's level then we shall be doomed to follow his path!"

"And yet, my dear friend, we are forced to follow his path." Argos replied. "Else we are doomed with an even worse fate. Defeat!"

"That is something we simply cannot afford!" Replied Hemorphious, the Elder of wind.

"But at the cost of our own morals? My brethren think about what you are saying!"

"We have thought long enough!" Argos yelled. "We have no more time for debate. Zeilak has already started his search for the relics."

"We have no other choice." Iquinus, Elder of water, said to a weary Celindros. "If we show even the slightest bit of mercy to Zeilak he will compound on it!"

"I am completely aware of the situation at hand as am I also aware of Zeilak's mindset! Do not speak to me with such condescending tones! I agree that the most precise caution should be taken when confronting Zeilak but at the same time let us not forget our own responsibilities to this world!"

"The times for tradition have long ago ended!" Argos replied. "The ways of the past are dead. They died years ago with the knowledge of Ultimecia's presence."

"I cannot accept that." Celindros argued hotly. 

"Whether you accept it or not is of little importance to us. What is important however is exacting our mission. If you do not agree with some of our actions then so be it. That is upon you, not us."

"Speaking of more important roles." Marcondus began. "What are we to do about Squall and his companions? They are still far behind in their training and at this rate three months may not be a sufficient amount of time for them."

"Yet three months is all we can spare!" Iquinus yelled back. "We are already pushing it as it is!"

"We have no choice but to request our trainers up their training and allow less time for rest." Argos decided.

"That is inhumane!" Celindros yelled angrily. "These are not cattle! They are human's!"

"And that is their eternal flaw." Countered Argos. "Lionhart defeated Ultimecia, that alone speaks of his great skill. If he can accomplish that much, he can accomplish more."

"He is not a puppet to be manipulated!" 

"Yet we 'shall' manipulate him! Lest Zeilak get his hands on him like he has already done with the other Guardian!"

Marcondus stirred slightly. "About that. What are we going to do with the other half? Both Guardians must be joined else the true legend shall not come to pass!" 

Argos smirked indifferently. "We need not worry about the other half. He was flawed to begin with. 'Our' Guardian shall vanquish him easily. He has in the past and he shall do an even more thourough job in the future. You can count on that."

"Your ambition is beginning to eat away at your common sense Argos!" Celindros yelled. "Do not be so sure in your presumptions!"

Argos narrowed his eyes at Celindros hotly. "I will take that warning into question Celindros. As for you, here is my warning. Watch your tongue. I grow tired of your endless prattle and I grow even more tired of your disrespect for me. If you are not careful I shall have you stripped of your position and then executed! There are many others who would prove more worthy of your position then you!"

"If you can find one worthy enough to harness my powers then it shall not be for another few thousand years time and I know you cannot afford to go so long without the complete circle of Shumi Elders especially in this time of crisis."

Argos eyes narrowed even further. "You never know Celindros. Anything is possible. We don't need you. Be careful my friend, else your presence here shall create a disturbance amongst us. We have no quarrels with executing you. I am the head of this council after all and what I say is law!"

"You are not my friend!" Celindros began. "And what a despicable, incompetent, unworthy council head you are! It is a disgrace to serve under you!"

Argos eyes lit with rage. "I will not tolerate this disobedience!" 

"Then be the first to break the sacred vow of the elders since the beginning of our order! Kill me! Kill the eldest and in my opinion, wisest, of you all! End my existence and suffer in the hell you shall create for yourself!"

Argos scoffed in angry hatred. "Patience Celindros. Be not in such a hurry to die for your time shall indeed come and the penalty you shall receive will be most painful and excruciating for you. Be assured however that that event shall not be for some time. As you have already laid out for us, we need every ounce of help we can get… that is, at least until we secure our grasp on a more firm upper hand. Don't be surprised if you find yourself charged with execution after such time."

Celindros glared hatefully at Argos with Marcondus Hemorphious and iquinus staring helplessly towards one another, not knowing what to do.

"This meeting is adjured!" Argos yelled, still angry with Celindros defiance. "We 'shall' increase training of our 'cattle'!" He said defiantly, staring pointedly towards Celindros. "And we shall do nothing about the duplication decision. It was a wise choice that shall not be overruled. We shall use these humans as we see fit until the time comes that peace shall reign once more throughout this land." 

With that the Shumi head elder hit his fist against the table and the room darkened, signaling the end of their meeting.

"If this madness continues, we shall all be doomed…" Celindros said silently to himself before exiting the darkened area.

****

Rinoa silently inhaled the soft scent of one of the roses handed to her at the reception of the funeral. Squall's funeral. Though it was also a funeral for Irvine and Renix as well, most people would recognized it as Squall's since he was the predominant figure of the trio. It was a sad truth but a truth non the less that dug deep into the raven-haired woman's soul. 

She stared up into the bright, sunny sky reliving memories of happier times past. Times when she and Squall would simply enjoy hours of relaxing under the beautiful rays of the sun, inhaling the majestic scent of flowers and pine trees as they mixed together into an aroma of elegance. 

A single tear trailed down her eye, hidden from any onlooker. The meaning, however, was more powerful then any other outward expression she could ever show. For that single tear was the final symbol of things never to return again. She would never have the opportunity to sit with Squall under the sun again. Never be able to smile towards the man she loved as she admired the formation of a new flower. 

The tear symbolized all the anguish that would follow her silently for the rest of her life. She didn't want to be alone especially not now. She never wanted to have to raise her son all on her own. She didn't want to have to rock him to sleep and tell him stories about his father but never see him. She didn't want to go through the emotional strain of dealing with situations where her son would ask her where his daddy was and why he couldn't spend any time with him like all the other kids. Rinoa simply couldn't take it.

Gently, she lifted her hand and wiped the tear from her cheek. Regardless of how she would feel, she would not neglect her responsibility. The confirmation of Squall's death had brought about a change in her. She knew what her responsibilities were now. Squall died upholding his duty. He died fighting for a cause he believed in. If he could make such a sacrifice, Rinoa would honor him by not letting that sacrifice be in vain. 

Suddenly a hand gently cupped her shoulder, startling her out of her reverie. Rinoa shifted her head slightly to the side to regard a very worn out looking Laguna. Out of them all, she had to say he looked the most physically altered by this new occurrence then them all. The once bright glimmer in his eyes seemed to have faded down to a dull shadow. His traditional upright posture had been traded in for a low sagging, hunch-backed old man. The smile, which seemed to be a permanent feature for the man, had disappeared. 

Rinoa had to admit she had never seen such a change in a man before. He was a complete shadow of his former self and that fact alone scared her more then she liked to admit. 

She gave the old man a weak smile and wrapped her hand around the one that was resting on her shoulder.

The weary eyed man returned the smile albeit with equall, if not greater, weakness. "So… How are you holding up?" He asked in a pathetic attempt to try and start conversation. 

Rinoa respected the man's effort even if it lacked in quality. She knew Laguna was never really good with words but his heart was always in the right place. 

She gave him another smile, this time, with more effort yet it still fell short. "I'm coping Laguna. One day at a time."

The man nodded sagely. "I understand. This must be very hard on you."

The woman didn't answer. She merely swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded slowly. She didn't necessarily like where Laguna was taking this.

"Squall was a great man." He continued, unaware of how many wounds he was reopening when speaking of Squall. 

"He was my son, and I'll live the rest of my life with the regret that I'll never have the opportunity to tell him that. There are so many things I wish I could have said to him. So many regrets…"

__

'Regrets…' the word reverberated throughout Rinoa's mind like a tennis ball. Did she regret any of the time she spent with Squall? Did she take it for granted? It was no question that she valued every minute she shared with Squall but was there any time she regretted any of it? Was there ever a time when she had wanted to do more? A demure smiled rose to her face as she came to her conclusion. There were no regrets. If anything, the only thing even close to regret is that she had not met him sooner then she did. Still there were so many things she wanted to say to him. She had told him it all before but she would have like to have told it to him in his last moments. If possible, she would have perished with him. It would have been less painful to die with the man she loved then live in a world of new uncertainties and unwanted trials. 

Rinoa didn't want to think about it all right now. She knew her responsibilities and she couldn't let her resolve falter. "I- I'm sorry Laguna… but I've really got to go."

The man's eyes widened slightly as if he had just been soaked by a bucket of cold ice. "Oh I'm sorry Rinoa! I really didn't mean to hold you up."

"It's ok Laguna… and thank you for your inspiring words."

A slight smile tugged at the edges of the man's haggard looking face. "Any time you need to talk Rinoa, I'll be around." 

Rinoa nodded her consent. "I'll keep that in mind."

As she began walking further and further away from the President of Esther she felt her confidence and resolve for her responsibilities growing stronger. Her friends unintentionally brought more pain into her heart. She realized she couldn't face them now. They all reminded her of her pain and loss in some form or another. She knew what she had to do now. She just hoped she had the confidence and inner strength to carry it out. 

"Hey Rinoa!"

The raven-haired woman turned her face slightly towards the new voice. A soft impression of a smile graced her face as she waved towards her approaching friend. Wheeling would be a better phrase. Rinoa walked up towards the blond woman who had grown to become her best friend over the years. 

"Hi." Rinoa returned, dimly. 

"Words can't express what I'm feeling right now or how sorry I am for you and everyone else who shares in our grief." Quistis said, lowering her head in sadness. "So with that in mind, I won't say anything. I'd only be reopening wounds if I did."

For the first time in 3 days, Rinoa smiled genuinely. She didn't know how, but Quistis always seemed to know what she was thinking and thus acted on her best interests. 

"Thanks." Rinoa replied gently. "How's everyone else? Have any plans been made about Zeilak's conflict? I'm sure he's got his sights set on Esther."

"Actually Kiros and I were just talking about that the other day. If we continued to stay divided we'll fall just like everyone else. We've come to a decision that we should follow in the footsteps Cid Kramer tried to lay out for us before his untimely death. I've talked with Laguna about it too and he gave the ok. As soon as possible, Esther and Garden will join forces against the threat of Zeilak."

"I'm relieved to hear it." Rinoa responded truthfully. "It's about time we started getting things ready for the offensive. So how's everyone else. I've been kinda… out of touch with everyone for the past few days." Rinoa lowered her eyes sadly. 

Quistis seemed to pick up on the young woman's feelings immediately as she changed her expression slightly to one of understanding and compassion. "Everyone's holding up good considering the circumstances I guess. Xu and Nida are helping in the fortification of weapons armaments and reconstruction."

"Xu and Nida?" Rinoa was slightly shocked at this news. "I thought they had died in the Garden battle."

"Yeah so did everyone else until they suddenly turned up a few days before our investigation of balamb Garden."

Quistis saw Rinoa flinch and mentally wanted to slap herself for causing the raven-haired woman to relive unwanted memories. She quickly straightened up and changed back to the original subject. 

"Xu's changed a lot! She and Nida seem to have developed some sort of relationship. I guess that recent conflict forced them both to discover their true feelings for one another. In any case Xu doesn't seem like she wants to boss anyone around anymore. She seems completely focused on the reconstruction and is extremely eager to help any and everyone as best she can. The same goes for Nida as well. It seems like those two are inseparable now."

Rinoa smiled gently and briefly closed her eyes. "It's nice being able to have someone…"

Quistis saw where her friend's thoughts were taking her and she wasn't liking it one bit. But she found that she was helpless to do anything. No words she could say would alleviate her friends troubled mind. Losing a loved one was something each and every one of them had to go through in their own way on their own time. She fumbled for words helplessly when suddenly. 

"Hey Quistis! Rinoa! Over here!"

Both women turned their faces and saw Zell and Sarah walking up to them. 

"Hey guys." Rinoa said mildly. 

"Rinoa… I'm so sorry…" Zell said in a low, remorseful voice.

"Yeah It seems I've been getting that a lot lately." The young woman replied. "Don't blame yourselves, there wasn't anything any of us could have done. Time goes on whether we like it or not. We just have to live each day to the fullest right?"

They all seemed to grow silent as they pondered the woman's words thoughtfully. 

"Speaking of living our days to the fullest." Sarah began. "What happens now? How are we going to combat Zeilak? It just doesn't seem the same anymore."

"Yeah," Zell agreed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm gonna kick Zeilak's ass black and blue for what he's done but still, with Squall gone, everything seems to have changed."

Quistis looked at the Dincht couple carefully for a few seconds. "You two aren't planning on being here when we attack are you?" 

Both Zell and Sarah lowered their eyes guiltily. "Believe me, we want to help!" Zell began. "It's just… Squall's death helped us realize something important."

"Responsibility is important." Sarah interjected. "Zell and I want to help bring meaning to Squall's sacrifice in our own way. We're responsible for an entire island now. It's our duty to ensure the safety of our people and protect them from Zeilak's wrath."

Rinoa nodded her head. "I understand what you two are saying and I respect your decision."

Quistis nodded next to her. "Yeah I guess I understand as well. You have to do what's best after all."

"What about Selphie?" Zell asked. "What happened to her? I didn't even see her for the funeral." 

"Selphie's locked herself in her room." Rinoa responded dryly. "I took it upon myself to tell her the news. I could hear her crying inside. I wanted to help her but she wouldn't let me in. I guess she too is dealing with her anguish in her own way."

"Well I guess she'll be okay as long as she's got you and Quistis to help her out along the way right?" Zell said enthusiastically. 

"Actually,… it'll only be Quistis."

All eyes widened as they regarded Rinoa with shocked expressions. 

"What?" Quistis breathed from surprised lips. "Rinoa what are you saying?"

The raven-haired woman sighed as well. "I'm saying that I'm leaving on my own. I too need to follow my own responsibilities. Don't worry I'm not running away from this impending threat. I'm going on a journey of self discovery. I'm going to learn more about my special gifts and hopefully learn how to harness it well enough so that I can overcome Zeilak's might." 

"B… But Rinoa!" Zell protested. "What about the Garden? They need you! They need a strong leader! Someone who can lead them through battles like you've led them through the last."

"I think there's someone here who's more then qualified to fill in my shoes on that subject." Rinoa slowly turned towards her blond-haired friend. Quistis gazed at her with wide eyes. 

"Oh no! Rinoa I couldn't possibly… There's no way I could replace you!"

"It isn't you who's replacing anyone." Rinoa responded lightly. "You've always had the mindset and attitude of a leader. Everyone respects you and now its time for you to take charge and carry out your duty. You're the best person for the job Quisty."

Quistis simply regarded the woman silently, tears forming up in her eyes. "…Rinoa… you must do what you have to… I won't stop you but… I'll miss you… I'll miss you all."

They all stared sadly towards one another. It seemed as if time would once again tear them apart forcing them all to live in their own separate ways. 

"I'll miss you too my friend." Rinoa replied finally, tears rolling down her cheeks as well. 

Zell looked up into the sea blue sky, admiring the life that was now soaring through the air and reminding himself that soon, very soon, even this small bit of solace would be forever shattered by the reign of Zeilak. 

This was no longer an age of dreams. It was time for war; a war that would not be short nor kind. This would forever mark their lives, for this was now the War of the Ages, and they could only hope to be on the winning side if this conflict ever came to an end.

__

::::::::::The End of Emperor of Darkness::::::::::

**__**

Author's note: Thanks for reading everyone. It seems crazy how long ago I had begun this fic and I deeply apologize for the long delay in the chapters. I'll do my best to keep up in the future. As you can see, this is only the beginning. Much lies in store for Squall and friends. Please stay tuned for the New concluding saga, **War of the Ages.**


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